New Song - Mass Media
The Bush Administration has been responsible for an incredible amount of harm to the world and to the nation of the United States. The administration declared an illegal war based on false pretensions, and they stirred up a breeding ground of anti-American sentiment in the middle east. The administration inherited a decade of projected budget surpluses, and turned it into a decade of record budget deficits. These deficits were largely caused by the passing of a regressive tax policy that provided massive tax cuts to the richest 1% of the nation's population. They failed to sign on to the Kyoto Protocol, ignoring scientific evidence of global warming, and doing great harm to the global cause of the environmental revolution. They gutted 50 years of environmental regulations, and passed laws that favored corporate interests and political contributors time and time again. They inexcusably used 9/11 and the War in Iraq as a scapegoat for all sorts of issues - including the trampling on of civil rights, with the passing of the Patriot Act, and the use of torture during the "fight for freedom".
Yet, somehow the administration was re-elected in 2004. Something is massively afoul in America. There is simply no justification for the re-election of George W. Bush. America is broken, and the democratic process that is supposed to provide us with checks and balances has failed us.
Where is the failure in the democratic process? It is the fourth estate - our media. Our media is supposed to be an independent entity from the ruling power - a built-in check to ensure that the government is not deceiving the citizens of the nation. But the media has failed us completely. Instead of calling the administration into accountability, the media has toed the party line of the neoconservative movement, and kowtowed to the administration - spoonfeeding the public information directly from the mouth of Scott McClellan and the right wing think tanks and political pundits, rather than doing the hard investigate work expected of journalists.
In any case where the media attempted to provide a dissident voice, they were quickly stomped upon and marginalized by the neoconservative attack machine - Look at the examples - ambassador Joseph Wilson had his wife, Valerie Plame, outed as a CIA agent. Newsweek was condemned and blamed for violence in the Middle East for publishing a story about Koran Abuse in Guananamo. Dan Rather's respectable 20-year career was destroyed by a story that has never been refuted concerning George W. Bush's service with the Texas Air National Guard.
Compare and contrast the media's constant fixation with Bill Clinton's private sex scandal versus the almost complete silence in the media concerning the mendacity of the Bush Administration, and the Downing Street Memos. Yet the neocons continually complain about a supposed Liberal media bias - a bias, that, quite simply, does not exist.
This is a very important moment in American history - The neoconservative movement has pushed America to the brink of no return - a theocratic, aristocratic, imperialist and war-mongering nation. They control the presidency, the house and the senate, the media, and now Bush has the opportunity to appoint a new supreme court justice. It is time for the tide to turn - By now, the average American citizen must have begun to realize that things have turned much for the worse during Bush's five years in office.
It is time to educate ourselves about the unforgivable abuse of power by the neoconservative movement. If you are interested in learning more about how the neocons are abusing and misusing the media, take a look at the following books:
Also, check out the documentary, Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism.
I have written a new song, entitled Mass Media, dealing directly with this topic. Please take a moment to listen to or download this song, available at Audiostreet.com or Myspace.com.
Yet, somehow the administration was re-elected in 2004. Something is massively afoul in America. There is simply no justification for the re-election of George W. Bush. America is broken, and the democratic process that is supposed to provide us with checks and balances has failed us.
Where is the failure in the democratic process? It is the fourth estate - our media. Our media is supposed to be an independent entity from the ruling power - a built-in check to ensure that the government is not deceiving the citizens of the nation. But the media has failed us completely. Instead of calling the administration into accountability, the media has toed the party line of the neoconservative movement, and kowtowed to the administration - spoonfeeding the public information directly from the mouth of Scott McClellan and the right wing think tanks and political pundits, rather than doing the hard investigate work expected of journalists.
In any case where the media attempted to provide a dissident voice, they were quickly stomped upon and marginalized by the neoconservative attack machine - Look at the examples - ambassador Joseph Wilson had his wife, Valerie Plame, outed as a CIA agent. Newsweek was condemned and blamed for violence in the Middle East for publishing a story about Koran Abuse in Guananamo. Dan Rather's respectable 20-year career was destroyed by a story that has never been refuted concerning George W. Bush's service with the Texas Air National Guard.
Compare and contrast the media's constant fixation with Bill Clinton's private sex scandal versus the almost complete silence in the media concerning the mendacity of the Bush Administration, and the Downing Street Memos. Yet the neocons continually complain about a supposed Liberal media bias - a bias, that, quite simply, does not exist.
This is a very important moment in American history - The neoconservative movement has pushed America to the brink of no return - a theocratic, aristocratic, imperialist and war-mongering nation. They control the presidency, the house and the senate, the media, and now Bush has the opportunity to appoint a new supreme court justice. It is time for the tide to turn - By now, the average American citizen must have begun to realize that things have turned much for the worse during Bush's five years in office.
It is time to educate ourselves about the unforgivable abuse of power by the neoconservative movement. If you are interested in learning more about how the neocons are abusing and misusing the media, take a look at the following books:
- The Republican Noise Machine, David Brock
- What Liberal Media, Eric Alterman
- Big Lies, Joe Conason
- Lies and Lying Liars Who Tell Them, Al Franken
- Blinded by the Right, David Brock
- The Great Unravelling, Paul Krugman
Also, check out the documentary, Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism.
I have written a new song, entitled Mass Media, dealing directly with this topic. Please take a moment to listen to or download this song, available at Audiostreet.com or Myspace.com.
posted by markh100 at
2:50 PM
