Why The Media Sucks

Imagine this. Imagine that President Bush buys a whip, and, on the White House lawn, starts flaying violently several innocent people, who came for the White House tour.

Would the media cover it?

Would there be a headline on the front page of the newspaper? You might say, stop being silly, Adam, of course the media would report on it. Of course it would be huge news.

But the truth is, there's an amazing amount of stories just as shocking as that hypothetical one. And they're not being picked up in the national media nearly as much as the Terri Schiavos, Runaway Brides, and Pop Star Pedophiles are.

For instance.

Did you know there's an American businessman, held hostage by insurgents in Iraq at this very moment??

Media Silent, Locals Perplexed

Other countries, like Italy, for example, actually care that their citizens are being held hostage by terrorists. When one of their reporters showed up hostage in a terrorist video, it became a national story, so much so that the government "arranged" (paid) for her release, and sent in agents to rescue her. (Our soldiers shot one of those agents, and her, while they were on their way to the airport, by the way.)

But of course, to actually report on an American being held hostage would be "unpatriotic," the same as would be reporting on Haliburton's sweetheart government contracts (and missing taxpayer money to the tune of 800 million), the Bush administration's reduction (by 1.2 billion) of a penalty levied against the Tobacco industry, and how the Bush squad recently got rid of language in a GLOBAL WARMING PROTOCOL that stated GLOBAL WARMING WAS A PROBLEM. Yes, report any of these things to the level that Michael Jackson was reported, and you're against America, my friends.

So the media is content with back page stories on front page hypocrisy, incompetence, disaster and deception.

At least until the Tom and Katie breakup.

What Do You Call A Hypocrite In Washington Part II

"I wouldn't even attempt to make a diagnosis from a videotape." -Bill Frist, June 2005

"I question [Terri Schiavo's diagnosis] based on a review of the video footage. ... And that footage, to me, depicted something very different than persistent vegetative state... she certainly seems to respond to visual stimuli." -Bill Frist, March 2005

Did he change his tune in response to the autopsy, which revealed that Terri, in addition to being irreverably brain damaged, was blind?

Or did he look at the poll numbers, showing that most Americans were against the way Congress intervened in the matter?

Either way, Bill Frist sure has a weak memory. It only took him three months to forget he did, indeed, make a diagnosis by videotape.

Coincidently, the same time he remembered elections are coming up in just over a year.

Kids These Days

An elementary school yearbook has some unusual artwork on the back cover that has some parents calling for heads to roll.

Bucks County Yearbook

The drawing on the back page depicts a bag of weed, a joint, pill bottles, and a bong.

The principal of the school said the drawing is "open to interpretation."

You be the judge, but, frankly... this is pretty obvious stuff.



To me, its evidence that kids are starting younger and younger. I didn't even know what a bong was until sophomore year in high school. I still don't, mom and dad.

What sort of sick society do we live in where 5th graders are drawing pictures of drugs, under the heading: "Best Wishes In Middle School"?? And how can I get some of their stash???

What Do You Call a Hypocrite in Washington?

Congressman.

Just got back from the land down under. One of the first questions I asked when I got back home (greeted in the airport by the smiling picture-framed faces of Mein-Bush and Cheney-stahdt) was "Are we still a Democracy?" (A stewardess, passing by and overhearing my question, paused to reply "Barely.")

I'm glad to see Bush's approval at 43 percent, and the effect that approval rating is having on Republican congressmen. Suddenly, all those guys who were shouting "Four More Wars!!!" are starting to do an about face. After all, election time's a-comin-- let the lying begin!!!!

Republican Congressman: "Oh, I was always against the war. We need our boys home."

Reporter: "But didn't you propose a bill making it mandatory for Bush to declare war on a new country every year?"

Republican Congressman: "Sure, but that was just so that I would have to opportunity to make my strong feelings against the war known."

Reporter: "What?"

Republican Congressman: "This press conference is over."

I didn't want to delve too much into getting to know Australian politics while on vacation there, but it's my understanding that most Australians feel about their guy, John Howard, the way we feel about Bush. In a country that leans liberal, with a socialist mindset more akin to Canada, they have a conservative leader (ironically called the "Liberal" party) whose policies have led to economic downturn and war (australia being part of our coalition of the coerced.) Our tour guide said you never used to see homeless people on the streets of Sydney. While I was there I saw about as many as are in New York. However, Australia benefits by being a very large country with a small number of people (90% live in it's 3 major cities). So there's not a large population around to fuck up it's environment (the lush rainforests, sparkling coral reefs and majestic natural features are left mostly to the tourists to destroy), and by the fact that when things look really bad, they can always go look at a kangaroo or a wombat.

The best part of my 10 days in australia, besides diving the reefs, trekking the rainforests, feeding the kangaroos, and watching the penguins come in to the shore, hundreds at a time at Phillip Island, was getting away from all the bullshit, stress inducing hope crushing politics of our country. I get back and learn we're still a democracy, but then I read about the release of Kerry's war records, which, lo and behold, reveal he's a war hero-- and the headline isn't that Kerry was being honest all along... it's that his grades were one point lower than Bush's. (and his picture was a whole lot uglier). Never mind that Bush took swing dancing 101 while Kerry was taking political science-- the Republican hate mongers took it up as yet another point to drive repeatedly into the brains of anyone trying desperately to run out of earshot. Plus, good ol' Cheney up to his old rhetorical tricks-- calling those at Guantanamo Bay "terrorists," despite the fact that none of them have been charged with a crime. And every Republican's favorite New York Times writer, Willy Safire, continuing to blame Newsweek for riots, war, world hunger, global warming and the weight you put on freshman year in college-- despite the fact that Bush, Afghanistan President Karzai, and the guys who actually did the rioting said Newsweek was blameless. Not to mention I find out the very disturbing news that Katie Holmes is embracing Scientology.

People I met on my trip, from Ireland, Germany, Australia and the Netherlands, all made it clear they didn't hold it against me that I was an American. "We love Americans," they told me(proven by a nicely shaped American girl winning the wet t-shirt contest at a bar I went to in Cairns) "We just find it so sad what Bush is doing to your country."

So do I.

The thing is, now is the chance for us loved Americans to do something. To sit around brainlessly soaking up the ineptness of our government is to let the world-- and ourselves-- down. The Republicans are finally starting to attack the Bush-Rove agenda. Where are the Democrats? Where are we?

Write your senator or congressman.. Let him or her know that now is the time for the people to take their government back from the Rich, from the Intolerant, from the Violent.

And if that fails, tell them to start importing kangaroos.