When I began this blog in 2001, I was appalled by President Bush's headlong rush to an illegal war (we were not in fact under attack). As time wore on and Bush began his assault on the Constitution and any people bold enough to criticize, I believed that "the republic is endangered more by actions of our own government than by those of any terrorist." With the election of a high-minded, compassionate, intelligent man like Barack Obama, my fears have ceased.
"Honor them with peace, not war"
United for Peace
Monday, September 06, 2004
The American people seem to love so-called "reality TV" which is not at all about reality from what I've seen, but rather about simulations of reality (aka fiction).
It's possible that the shows, like soap operas before them have confused viewers so much that many cannot distinguish between fiction and reality -- or truth vs. lies.
This is very disturbing.
Writer Robert Parry says in an interesting article [Reality on the Ballot] that the upcoming presidential election is about reality, not the competing policies or competencies of the candidates. I think he's onto something there.
Now, anybody trying to make a case for himself in a campaign will give his own spin on events -- but that's not lying, it's interpreting and emphasizing. Some campaigners will fudge the truth a bit when they think they can get away with it-- that's lying, but in the category of white lies, and usually in response to questions asked on issues that they would rather not discuss.
But Bush makes up entire stories that are directly and hugely oppostie of actual facts, and expects people to believe him, even though the actual truth conflicts and people have had a chance to read it in the newspaper or see it on tv. And many people (about half the country) apparently DO believe him!
I guess we will get what we deserve, for allowing corporations and their political shills to program us and mind-numb us like that.
But if we had a decent governmnet in place, one thing they would consider doing is taking back some of those corporate charters, because they are not acting in the public interest, in fact counter to it.
Copyright © 2001-03 Pam Shorey
(except the specific sources credited in quotes)
Reality TV vs. reality
The American people seem to love so-called "reality TV" which is not at all about reality from what I've seen, but rather about simulations of reality (aka fiction).
It's possible that the shows, like soap operas before them have confused viewers so much that many cannot distinguish between fiction and reality -- or truth vs. lies.
This is very disturbing.
Writer Robert Parry says in an interesting article [Reality on the Ballot] that the upcoming presidential election is about reality, not the competing policies or competencies of the candidates. I think he's onto something there.
This election has become a test of whether reality still means anything to the American people, whether this country has moved to essentially a new form of government in which one side is free to lie about everything while a paid “amen corner” of ideological media drowns out any serious public debate.
For weeks now, George W. Bush’s campaign has been radically testing the limits of how thoroughly one party can lie, misrepresent and smear without paying any price and indeed while reaping rewards in the opinion polls. Bush personally capped off this binge of dishonesty with his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, continuing his pattern of lying about how the war in Iraq began.
Before a national television audience, Bush repeated his false account of the run-up to the Iraq War, asserting he had no choice but to invade because Saddam Hussein refused to disarm or to comply with United Nations inspection demands. The reality is that not only did Hussein say publicly – and apparently accurately – that Iraq no longer possessed stockpiles of banned weapons but he allowed U.N. inspectors into Iraq in November 2002 and gave them free rein to examine any site of their choosing. [read the rest]
Now, anybody trying to make a case for himself in a campaign will give his own spin on events -- but that's not lying, it's interpreting and emphasizing. Some campaigners will fudge the truth a bit when they think they can get away with it-- that's lying, but in the category of white lies, and usually in response to questions asked on issues that they would rather not discuss.
But Bush makes up entire stories that are directly and hugely oppostie of actual facts, and expects people to believe him, even though the actual truth conflicts and people have had a chance to read it in the newspaper or see it on tv. And many people (about half the country) apparently DO believe him!
I guess we will get what we deserve, for allowing corporations and their political shills to program us and mind-numb us like that.
But if we had a decent governmnet in place, one thing they would consider doing is taking back some of those corporate charters, because they are not acting in the public interest, in fact counter to it.
Palema
11:10 AM
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Copyright © 2001-03 Pam Shorey
(except the specific sources credited in quotes)
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