"In the waning days of George W. Bush's regime, it's worthwhile to examine his legacy: a devastating war, a ruined economy, soaring oil prices. But one way he has triumphed is by continuing to spread a certain word across this great land of ours. You can barely swing a Republican by the tail these days without hitting something, or someone, described as "awesome."
It'd be nice if we could take these jokes to the bank and pay our bills with them. NI4D? - most people will end up trying to laugh the last 8 years off.
Concerning my news sources, I must say that I learn more from personal experience (seeing metro trains break down, hearing about store closures, discovering roads with missing exits during a geological excursion in rural Pennsylvania...), documentaries, people who value substance before anything else (John Judge, Mike Gravel, Malalai Joya...), shows like "King of the Hill", "Beavis and Butt-head", "The Simpsons", video games like "Final Fantasy IX", books like "American Theocracy" and documentaries like "The Power of Nightmares"...than from any news source.
I look at "the Real News", some youtube videos, and given that the Washington Post is lying around the house, I read it diagonally.
Once a person is armed with a certain kind of knowledge, then one can look at MSM sources like the Washington Post (or when I sign out of hotmail, weird MSM news articles pop up), read it diagonally and peer into the subliminal messages that aren't very obvious to the naked eye.
Some people in my house put NBC as background noise early in the morning, even though I absolutely hate NBC, I ask them to turn off the tv, and I tell them that NBC is a cog of the MIC (General Electric) and a fascist channel (my comments are ignored, though...).
Fortunately, I can break through the lies of the media easily thanks to Gravel's campaign.
Bottom line: I learn more from Beavis than from the media.
The main thing is to turn off the TV. It doesn't make much difference which station, the entire world view is cut from whole cloth and is the real reason that Americans can do things like allow the continuing murder of blamless Iraqi civilians and watch the upcoming war against blameless Iranian civilians and cannot do things like vote for Mike Gravel or Ralph Nader. Really. It's like a drug. Americans are junkies. No excuse, but an explanation.
With the exception of Aljazeera, the first group are pale reflections of the MSM, sort of like Persus looking at Medusa as a reflection in his shield.
Commondreams used to give me a lot of links to follow, not so much anymore. I still look at DN! because there are sometimes important personalities interviewed there. FAIR points out the more egregious errors of the MSM.
Asia Times Online is really worth a look. It has some very interesting articles by Chinese, Indian, and Middle Eastern that often have a very different factual and perspective basis than anything in the Euro-American media.
Counterpunch is also really worth a look, working out of North America, .
Crytome is in the leaks business.
The Military Project specializes in its audience with the GI Special.
War News Today is all about Iraq.
The Muzzzle Watch is all about the real and would be censors in the AIPAC and other quarters of the North American far-right Zionist crowd.
But the main thing is to turn off the TV.
--
Times have changed. We are going to empower the American people. Let’s work together. I am tough. I’m not afraid. None of this politics as usual. Mike Gravel
Yeah, I don't watch TV. I haven't watched TV in any regular fashion in the last two years. I had previouslly gotten my news online, but now I even feel like anything I find through google is somehow not as fulfilling as I deem satisfactory.
Friends of mine suggest the bbc, since atleast they report on things that happen outside of the United States, and spanning their own borders.
It's the Powers that be that make the news. Believing news can somehow empower us is the same as believing in the tooth fairy. or Santa, or the Easter bunny.
You probably read A Tale of Two Cities, and the storming of the Bastille - violent revolt in fairly civilized countries - seems to me the way this country is really structured that a similiar kind of revolution will be needed to return us to honesty and fairness. The corruption is so widespread.
After the 'storming of the Federal Reserve' the IRS, RFID manufacturers, .... then you may be able to read the news.
And believe it.
Someone once calculated that it would take 75 personal slaves to replace what modern apparatus provides for each of us on a daily basis.
That's quite a dated calculation - it's probably more like a hundred these days - and maybe that's a big part of the reason why there is no mass protest to energy policy & energy consumption, we're not willing to give up our little mechanical slaves. We'd be as good as dead without them.
We couldn't even keep a fire going all winter if left to our own devices. let alone feed and clothe ourselves.
We've got ourselves in debt to mother nature pretty deep, sooner or later we will have to repay it.
There's a right way and a wrong way to do it, and ignoring reality is the wrong way. ignoring reality is costing lives in Iraq. Ignoring reality has gutted personal and civil rights in this country. And more.
- but, like the news - people choose to believe whatever inconveniences them the least - and too bad about anything or anyone else.
We're in a lot of debt, I don't think westerners have a clue as to the size of it - we elect not to know.
advertising and the media have turned a whole generation into convenience shoppers.
the government jumps on that advertising bandwagon when its time to propogate their plans
quality of life - the status quo - conspicuous consumerism - planned obsolescence - have spiralled to create a disposable society - and thanks to ppl like Bush and Cheney - the people are part of what is considered disposable. But none of this would have been possible without the media - and this is the MAIN role of the media - to sell - sell - sell. There are books on the topic, selling and salesmanship are incredibly powerful formative tools capable of whole culture changes.
None of this would be possible without the media - so - do we shoot the messenger - or the salesman - or the profit driven advertiser? (i.e. manufacturer) It's a vicious circle. Gotta be careful or we're likely to end up shooting ourselves in the foot - feet - hooves - whatever :)
Remember the phrase 'disposable income? The amount of money one had when fixed costs were looked after? Disposable income. Sure is less and less of it. That's tied directly to energy availability. We've been led to believe that money was the important thing in economics - how simple it was to fool us - those with the real power slowly and surely alienated the average person from things of real importance. When our disposable income is zero we''ll wonder why we endure this rat race for a thing that is of very little real use.
When what we thought money could buy is simply no longer available - quality of life - what then? For sure the media will have the same solution it always had - advertising space for sale - the only resource it ever really had.
Unless you want to make headline news.
Here is a link to a newscast with Mike Wallace and Aldous Huxley discussing 'Brave New World' in 1958.
Comments
Something from 'Grow-a-Brain'
Submitted on July 26th, 2008 by arpidoodle"In the waning days of George W. Bush's regime, it's worthwhile to examine his legacy: a devastating war, a ruined economy, soaring oil prices. But one way he has triumphed is by continuing to spread a certain word across this great land of ours. You can barely swing a Republican by the tail these days without hitting something, or someone, described as "awesome."
It'd be nice if we could take these jokes to the bank and pay our bills with them. NI4D? - most people will end up trying to laugh the last 8 years off.
Concerning my news sources,
Submitted on July 20th, 2008 by HitsumeiConcerning my news sources, I must say that I learn more from personal experience (seeing metro trains break down, hearing about store closures, discovering roads with missing exits during a geological excursion in rural Pennsylvania...), documentaries, people who value substance before anything else (John Judge, Mike Gravel, Malalai Joya...), shows like "King of the Hill", "Beavis and Butt-head", "The Simpsons", video games like "Final Fantasy IX", books like "American Theocracy" and documentaries like "The Power of Nightmares"...than from any news source.
I look at "the Real News", some youtube videos, and given that the Washington Post is lying around the house, I read it diagonally.
Once a person is armed with a certain kind of knowledge, then one can look at MSM sources like the Washington Post (or when I sign out of hotmail, weird MSM news articles pop up), read it diagonally and peer into the subliminal messages that aren't very obvious to the naked eye.
Some people in my house put NBC as background noise early in the morning, even though I absolutely hate NBC, I ask them to turn off the tv, and I tell them that NBC is a cog of the MIC (General Electric) and a fascist channel (my comments are ignored, though...).
Fortunately, I can break through the lies of the media easily thanks to Gravel's campaign.
Bottom line: I learn more from Beavis than from the media.
Similar to how I get the news
Submitted on July 21st, 2008 by BamaGravelian"Bottom line: I learn more from Beavis than from the media."
huh huh coooollll ;)
Yeah, I leave the TV watching to my parents now.
The main thing is to turn off the TV
Submitted on July 21st, 2008 by jflThe main thing is to turn off the TV. It doesn't make much difference which station, the entire world view is cut from whole cloth and is the real reason that Americans can do things like allow the continuing murder of blamless Iraqi civilians and watch the upcoming war against blameless Iranian civilians and cannot do things like vote for Mike Gravel or Ralph Nader. Really. It's like a drug. Americans are junkies. No excuse, but an explanation.
I look at
http://english.aljazeera.net/
http://www.afp.com/english/home/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/text_only.stm
http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/
***
http://www.commondreams.org/
http://www.democracynow.org/
http://www.fair.org/index.php
http://atimes.com/
***
http://www.counterpunch.org/
http://cryptome.org/
http://www.militaryproject.org/
http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/
http://www.muzzlewatch.com/
With the exception of Aljazeera, the first group are pale reflections of the MSM, sort of like Persus looking at Medusa as a reflection in his shield.
Commondreams used to give me a lot of links to follow, not so much anymore. I still look at DN! because there are sometimes important personalities interviewed there. FAIR points out the more egregious errors of the MSM.
Asia Times Online is really worth a look. It has some very interesting articles by Chinese, Indian, and Middle Eastern that often have a very different factual and perspective basis than anything in the Euro-American media.
Counterpunch is also really worth a look, working out of North America, .
Crytome is in the leaks business.
The Military Project specializes in its audience with the GI Special.
War News Today is all about Iraq.
The Muzzzle Watch is all about the real and would be censors in the AIPAC and other quarters of the North American far-right Zionist crowd.
But the main thing is to turn off the TV.
--
Times have changed. We are going to empower the American people. Let’s work together. I am tough. I’m not afraid. None of this politics as usual. Mike Gravel
Yeah, I don't watch TV. I
Submitted on July 23rd, 2008 by gravel08njYeah, I don't watch TV. I haven't watched TV in any regular fashion in the last two years. I had previouslly gotten my news online, but now I even feel like anything I find through google is somehow not as fulfilling as I deem satisfactory.
Friends of mine suggest the bbc, since atleast they report on things that happen outside of the United States, and spanning their own borders.
-- tomislav v. butkovic tomislav@gravel2008.us Gravel 2008 - New Jersey State Director http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gravel2008nj/ http://gravel2008.us
It's the Powers that be that
Submitted on July 21st, 2008 by arpidoodleIt's the Powers that be that make the news. Believing news can somehow empower us is the same as believing in the tooth fairy. or Santa, or the Easter bunny.
You probably read A Tale of Two Cities, and the storming of the Bastille - violent revolt in fairly civilized countries - seems to me the way this country is really structured that a similiar kind of revolution will be needed to return us to honesty and fairness. The corruption is so widespread.
After the 'storming of the Federal Reserve' the IRS, RFID manufacturers, .... then you may be able to read the news.
And believe it.
Someone once calculated that it would take 75 personal slaves to replace what modern apparatus provides for each of us on a daily basis.
That's quite a dated calculation - it's probably more like a hundred these days - and maybe that's a big part of the reason why there is no mass protest to energy policy & energy consumption, we're not willing to give up our little mechanical slaves. We'd be as good as dead without them.
We couldn't even keep a fire going all winter if left to our own devices. let alone feed and clothe ourselves.
We've got ourselves in debt to mother nature pretty deep, sooner or later we will have to repay it.
There's a right way and a wrong way to do it, and ignoring reality is the wrong way. ignoring reality is costing lives in Iraq. Ignoring reality has gutted personal and civil rights in this country. And more.
- but, like the news - people choose to believe whatever inconveniences them the least - and too bad about anything or anyone else.
We're in a lot of debt, I don't think westerners have a clue as to the size of it - we elect not to know.
Those who control the
Submitted on July 23rd, 2008 by gravel08njThere's a little black dot on the sun today .. (new link added)
Submitted on July 24th, 2008 by arpidoodleadvertising and the media have turned a whole generation into convenience shoppers.
the government jumps on that advertising bandwagon when its time to propogate their plans
quality of life - the status quo - conspicuous consumerism - planned obsolescence - have spiralled to create a disposable society - and thanks to ppl like Bush and Cheney - the people are part of what is considered disposable. But none of this would have been possible without the media - and this is the MAIN role of the media - to sell - sell - sell. There are books on the topic, selling and salesmanship are incredibly powerful formative tools capable of whole culture changes.
None of this would be possible without the media - so - do we shoot the messenger - or the salesman - or the profit driven advertiser? (i.e. manufacturer) It's a vicious circle. Gotta be careful or we're likely to end up shooting ourselves in the foot - feet - hooves - whatever :)
Remember the phrase 'disposable income? The amount of money one had when fixed costs were looked after? Disposable income. Sure is less and less of it. That's tied directly to energy availability. We've been led to believe that money was the important thing in economics - how simple it was to fool us - those with the real power slowly and surely alienated the average person from things of real importance. When our disposable income is zero we''ll wonder why we endure this rat race for a thing that is of very little real use.
When what we thought money could buy is simply no longer available - quality of life - what then? For sure the media will have the same solution it always had - advertising space for sale - the only resource it ever really had.
Unless you want to make headline news.
Here is a link to a newscast with Mike Wallace and Aldous Huxley discussing 'Brave New World' in 1958.
http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/multimedia/video/2008/wallace/huxley_aldous.html
Amazing stuff - 30 minutes of uncensored objective insight - Huxley was a NI4D forerunner - very topical to him in that day - very worth viewing
and a taxpayer who votes
Submitted on July 22nd, 2008 by arpidoodleand a taxpayer who votes for Obama is like a chicken voting for Colonel Saunders