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This is debatable. Of course they were airlplanes, however, remote controlled? A huge payoff to the hijackers family? Money can buy incredible things
Originally posted by Herman
Originally posted by dgtempe
Once you people get the 911 story straight,and once you realize this government is behind the attack, you will all come to your senses. This attack was manufactured solely for the purpose of using as a backdrop for the war on terror. This administration knew how stupid the American masses are and how blind. They were right. Everything that ensued after 911 has been only for profit and political gain, and of course, old man Bush's trophy, Saddam. Its nothing but lies.
What can you say about Bush? El presidente estupido
Let me ask you a question... Do you at least recognize that it WAS a 757 that crashed into those buildings? It's been proven with pictures and videos that it was....
Originally posted by FlyersFan
1 - 'The economy is worse' - no. Bush inherited a recession from Clinton.
The economy is in better shape. We are not in a recession. The problem
I can not convince you that G.W. has done a good job. I CAN
state the facts that he is a better choice for America than John Kerry
(or Bill Clinton).
www.gop.com...
[edit on 10/20/2004 by FlyersFan]
Originally posted by Koka
How did the Bush admin manage to increase spending whilst cutting taxes?
There must be many a government that would like to know his secret.
[edit on 20-10-2004 by Koka]
Originally posted by dgtempe
Bush's family for Kerry
Maybe some of you could convince some of the Bush family also
Convince me Bush has done a good job
Yes during Clinton my husband and I have more money and we did very good in the stock market we even had extra money to do "things" now if we had know that the economy was going to do this bad we would never had spend the earnings from the stock market boom.
And for bushes tax cuts I will tell you my husband now has two jobs and we have not seen anything out of the tax cut we are in a higher bracket and still making ends meet and paying more taxes.
deeprivergal I'm not seeing any improvment of local school here. Must be big city school funding.
All americans? I haven't seen them, I don't have any extra money in my pocket, are you willing to share yours?
Shouldn't we be concerned as to why 1.3 million people need the pell grant? Because they are living in poverty and can't afford to make it through school on their own. I would be impressed if that number went down and people didn't need it to further their education.
marg6043 People that looks for help on Job-training and income-support face a bureaucratic paper to fill out and limited resources. Yes even when help is out there for them by the time the get to it somebody else got it first.
To live decently, working families need a lot more than what low-wage jobs currently pay, they need social outlays and income supports not faith bases and church programs they need government programs.
Currently, full-time, full-year work at the federal minimum wage of 5.15 and hour,yields an annual income of 10,300. If the minimum wage had kept pace with inflation since the 1960s as it had done during the previous two decades, its current level would be more than 7.50 an hour or 15,000 a year.
Now can anybody tell me who can afford to feed a family of four with that? Yes we got jobs but guess what you are still in the poverty line paying taxes and still poor.
What happen to the federal funded programs to help these people? Well they are gag, cut and unavailable to these people because they have to �qualify� at state level to get them.
Originally posted by sensfan
please, convince me the best way you can that President Bush has done a good job for America in the last 4 years and will continue to do so.
Originally posted by Pisky
I can't, because he hasn't.
Originally posted by BlackJackal
Besides the fact that Bush has prevented any future terrorist attack since 9/11 here is the rest of his accomplishments from the Free Republic
Then maybe you need to ask your local school what they are doing wth the money the federal government is givbing them and ask why even though thier budget has increased the school hasn't improved. The federal government can only give more money to your local schools they cant force the teachers to do a better job
All americans? I haven't seen them, I don't have any extra money in my pocket, are you willing to share yours?
See my awnser to marg above and try getting a new accountant
Shouldn't we be concerned as to why 1.3 million people need the pell grant? Because they are living in poverty and can't afford to make it through school on their own. I would be impressed if that number went down and people didn't need it to further their education.
So in other words its bush's fault there are poor people? That thier parents don't make enough or they don't make enough to afford school?
To live decently, working families need a lot more than what low-wage jobs currently pay, they need social outlays and income supports not faith bases and church programs they need government programs.
Why must the government do it? If you need help and you get help does it matter where it comes from? If people are working at low wage jobs what they need are the skills necessary to get a better job not free money.
Everyone wants the government to solve thier problems. Everyone thinks they are "entitled" to something.
Its not the governments job to feed your children its yours. Its not the governments job to get you a job, its yours. Its not the governments job to see that you are competitive its yours. The government may help, but you have to do the work.
Originally posted by sensfan
Maybe I just don't get it, or I haven't been getting, or finding the right information, but with almost half the US supporting President Bush in the upcoming election, he must be doing something right. But I just don't see it.
I like to be informed, so please, convince me the best way you can that President Bush has done a good job for America in the last 4 years and will continue to do so.
Please no trumping or bashing of John Kerry in this thread.
Text�Every working American will get a tax cut� Bush said. Boy that sure sounds good doesn�t it? Bush should have said the average working American will get an insignificant tax cut while the millionaires will get a very significant tax cut.
While I get to keep an extra $450 a year or $8.00 a week of my �own money� the average millionaire gets to keep $93,500 a year or $1798 a week. That�s $1.14 a day for me and $256 a day for the millionaire. I guess that�s because some believe in their own mind that I�m not as productive as the millionaires, after all we can�t be taking money from the productive and giving it to the un-productive can we?
One thing is certain; I won�t be using my $8 a week to buy a new car or for that matter I won�t even be buying a used car. I won�t be using my $8 a week to take a fancy vacation or even a not so fancy vacation. I won�t be going on a big shopping spree or even a small shopping spree. I won�t be buying a new washing machine, dryer, refrigerator, carpeting, or any other big ticket household items. No I�ll probably just use the measly eight bucks to pay on my charge card which will have no effect on the economy at all.
quote: Originally posted by sensfan
Maybe I just don't get it, or I haven't been getting, or finding the right information, but with almost half the US supporting President Bush in the upcoming election, he must be doing something right. But I just don't see it.
I like to be informed, so please, convince me the best way you can that President Bush has done a good job for America in the last 4 years and will continue to do so.
Please no trumping or bashing of John Kerry in this thread.
Originally posted by Koka
quote: Originally posted by sensfan
Maybe I just don't get it, or I haven't been getting, or finding the right information, but with almost half the US supporting President Bush in the upcoming election, he must be doing something right. But I just don't see it.
I like to be informed, so please, convince me the best way you can that President Bush has done a good job for America in the last 4 years and will continue to do so.
Please no trumping or bashing of John Kerry in this thread.
www.dailygate.com...
www.udecide.org...
www.alternet.org...
www.SALON.COM... this image
The New York Times
> Washington > Campaign 2004 >
The Mystery of the Bulge in the Jacket
WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 - What was that bulge in the back of President Bush's suit jacket at the presidential debate in Miami last week?
According to rumors racing across the Internet this week, the rectangular bulge visible between Mr. Bush's shoulder blades was a radio receiver, getting answers from an offstage counselor into a hidden presidential earpiece. The prime suspect was Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's powerful political adviser.
When the online magazine Salon published an article about the rumors on Friday, the speculation reached such a pitch that White House and campaign officials were inundated with calls.
First they said that pictures showing the bulge might have been doctored. But then, when the bulge turned out to be clearly visible in the television footage of the evening, they offered a different explanation.
"There was nothing under his suit jacket," said Nicolle Devenish, a campaign spokeswoman.
"It was most likely a rumpling of that portion of his suit jacket, or a wrinkle in the fabric."
Ms. Devenish could not say why the "rumpling" was rectangular.
Nor was the bulge from a bulletproof vest, according to campaign and White House officials; they said Mr. Bush was not wearing one.
www.talkingpointsmemo.com
www.georgesoros.com...
www.votescam.com...
HTTP;//NEWSHOUNDS.COM
This is a Seymour Hersh..... clip
webcast.berkeley.edu...
Read this
www.smirkingchimp.com...
But first - Read This!
Distilled garbage
Madison Capital Times editorial, October 12, 2004
A maroon SUV with Bush bumper stickers and Ohio license plates was seen picking up bags of trash outside the Kerry for President headquarters on Henry Street in downtown Madison. A Kerry backer followed the SUV and said that it went to the state Republican headquarters on Johnson Street.
It does not appear that a crime was committed. And Kerry campaign spokesman George Twigg got off a great line. Referring to key themes of Kerry's campaign platform, Twigg said, "Maybe the Bush campaign was looking for a plan to create jobs and lower the costs of health care." Actually, it depends on what was in the bags. If they were filled with Kerry campaign literature, Twigg might be right.
On the other hand, if the bags were filled with genuine garbage - slimy, greasy, foul and disgusting materials - then the trash was probably put to another purpose: making those television commercials Republican Senate candidate Tim Michels has been using to attack U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold.
The latest Michels ad is a disturbing defense of the Patriot Act that plays on ethnic stereotypes to stir fears that are, at once, wrong-minded and damaging to the democratic discourse. At a time when not just Democrats but also Republicans are praising Feingold for his courage and wisdom in voting against the Patriot Act, the Michels ads are indefensibly wrong-minded. They are, quite simply, distilled garbage.
What We Now Know
Week of 10/18/04
IN THIS ISSUE
Mr. X: Out of Work in Iraq
Post-9/11 Tricks of the Trade
**********************************************
MR. X: OUT OF WORK IN IRAQ
For new readers, Mr. X is a former U.S. staff sergeant who currently works in Baghdad as one of a team of bodyguards who protect Western executives working on infrastructure reconstruction. During the last six months, he has evolved into �our man in Iraq�, going where few other Westerners dare. Even though his opinions don�t always reflect ours, it is no doubt fascinating to hear the news from �behind enemy lines.� Here is his latest, and maybe final, installment from Baghdad.
Our contract was officially cut from the reconstruction budget last week. The U.S. decided to pull a couple billion dollars away from reconstruction and use it to try to get the new Iraqi military "spun up" and operational as soon as possible.
I've been here as a civilian for about a year now and I'm pretty sure I've seen more than most U.S. soldiers, since half of the places we go are "no-go" zones to them. And I know I've seen more than any news person, since I can count on two hands the times I've seen them outside of the Green Zone or Palestine/Sheraton plaza in the last year. So I'd like to think I'm as qualified as just about anyone to comment on what it's really like here.
First of all, with the exception of the Brits, who always know what they�re doing, the military personnel from coalition partners were a joke. The rest� the Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Italians, Spanish, Lithuanians, Latvians, El Salvadorans, Filipinos, etc� worthless. I don't know if it is that their militaries are simply incompetent, or if American and British troops are just so good by comparison. Probably some of both.
This is classic Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT). By definition, that means things are going to be messy and look horrible on CNN and even worse on Al-Jazeera. But it can be effective. That's why our marines and army infantry units have been training in MOUT for years now.
In my opinion, they could have leveled Fallujah and a half dozen other cities if they just had their leashes taken off. But they were never given the chance.
The Iraqis aren't the ones causing the problems over here. It's the thousands of foreign fighters. And you can't persuade those guys with promises of freedom and democracy. Only a 5.56 round shot center mass can persuade them. They are here to fight and die for their cause. On the other hand, the unemployed street kids in Sadr City, and pretty much all Iraqis really, can be influenced by money and jobs and economic opportunity, basically everything the U.S. promised to give them. But before that can happen, you have to remove (kill) what stands in the way. Which is about 5,000-10,000 foreign insurgents, according to some Army intel officers I know (take Army intel for what it's worth).
The American grunts are the only ones I have sympathy for in this place. For the longest time I really did feel bad for the Iraqis. But I definitely don't now.
It's simple, in my opinion anyway. If you're an Iraqi and you let these foreign insurgents run around unchecked, it's your own damn fault if your country is a mess.
I remember a few months ago my security team was watching CNN, and we saw the story of the Iraqi vigilante group who planned to hunt down Al-Zarqawi and kill him. We actually started cheering. The story ran for about 2 or 3 days and then never again. That was probably the closest this country ever came to actually standing up and fighting for themselves.
Yes, there are some Iraqis who are standing up to the foreign insurgents and who are giving information to the military. This is how Army intel chooses which houses to raid and where to find stored weapons caches, etc. But the ones who actively help the U.S. out are a very small minority. The vast majority of Iraqis just want to "hunker down" in their houses with their families and hope the U.S. military will do everything for them.
I remember one Iraqi construction worker who told me that the only people his mother hated more than the Army 1st Cav troops who patrol down her street are the Syrians and Jordanians hiding in the house next to hers. The Iraqis don't want Americans here. No one wants a foreign military in their country. But they do want us to give them what we promised. And they certainly want the foreign fighters here even less than us. Even so, they've shown me they're unwilling to do anything about the latter.
The worst part of all this is that we (the contractors I provided security for) were only about two months away from having all of our projects up and running. About two million people here in Baghdad were two months away from having clean drinking water and reliable electricity. But now that the government is pulling the construction contracts and reallocating it to security, they'll never know how close they were.
Meanwhile, I recently saw hundreds of men in line to turn in their RPGs and mortars and everything else, and they were standing in about an inch of raw sewage. That's actually normal for east Baghdad, there's filth everywhere, raw sewage running down every street and sidewalk. Garbage is piled up six feet high on some street corners. It's a typical third world slum.
As if turning in a few weapons, half of which probably don't work anyway, will change anything there when these people are still unemployed and living in filth, and the only people who try to make it seem like they care about them are the radical clerics.
Now that our contract has been cancelled, I doubt I'll stay in Baghdad. I'm pretty much burnt out on this place. But then again, money talks. I'm getting a lot of offers here still in Iraq, and an offer from the head of the oil ministry of one of the Gulf States to work on his close protection team. I can definitely make more money in Iraq than just about anywhere else. A "shooter" here makes anywhere from $13,500-$22,500/month, tax-free. Outside of Iraq or Afghanistan, you can expect to make between $10-$15K/month. But when you add up the benefits, less risk plus a better standard of living and nice travel, etc. it's a pretty even trade.
So, I'm probably just going to chase the money for a couple more months, then call it quits and try to put my money to good use.
Being over here has been a frustrating experience in a lot of ways. Since I wasn't in the military anymore, I was hoping I'd be able to be detached and not care how things turned out. But that never happened.
Of course I'm going to "root" for the Americans, but I continue to hope for the best for the locals, too. I've been to enough countries in the Middle East to know how miserable it is in this region. This place will never turn into a Dubai, but it can be a lot better than it is now, and was in the past.
Maybe after the election, the gloves will come off and they'll clean things up. Or, maybe they really are waiting for the Iraqi troops to get ready and start cleaning house. It's worth a shot, I guess.
Anyway, I'll be in touch and maybe I'll end up in the Niger Delta or Indonesia or somewhere else worth writing about. Who knows?
Regardless, it was great "meeting" you guys and, as always, the newsletter is terrific. I look forward to it in my inbox every week. Keep up the great work. Take care. I'll be in touch.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**********************************************
POST-9/11 TRICKS OF THE TRADE
In this dog-eat-dog world, business sharks have always been inventive in finding new ways to burn rivals. The latest trick takes advantage of the heightened U.S. sensitivity to terror alerts. Nowadays, it appears, one needn�t cry wolf� just �bio-hazard�.
Pre-9/11 ruses in the import/export business often involved �tipping off� the authorities with phony reports about competitors secretly smuggling drugs in their containers. In July of this year, an anonymous e-mail, sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, claimed that a shipment of one million Argentine lemons�en route to New Jersey�had been contaminated with a hazardous biological substance.
The tip (whose source is still under investigation) worked like a charm. The U.S. Coastguard not only seized the lemons on board the Rio Puelo; after holding the ship offshore for a week, the five containers were incinerated, even though the suspicions of a biohazard could not be confirmed. Ricardo Martin, the Buenos Aires-based fruit exporter, says his small business is crippled by the loss of $70,000 worth of lemons.
�Now [those planning dirty tricks] have a new law to work from�The Bioterrorism Act,� one Customs and Border Protection operator told What We Now Know. �And in times like these, I think we have to take all threats or calls seriously.�
�The produce industry is so fluid, if you can delay your competitor�s cargo by a day�let alone if you can delay it by a week�you can do a lot of damage,� said a veteran customs agent in a recent Washington Post interview.
Post-9/11 jitters are high, in no small part due to the perpetually elevated threat advisory level; a fact that makes it even more convenient for tricksters to wreak havoc with false terror warnings.
�Everyone�s safety in the port of New York and New Jersey is the ultimate concern,� Mike Hvozda, Petty Officer and Spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard, commented to WWNK, �that�s paramount to the cost of any shipment that may come into the harbor.�
Some have accused the Coast Guard of overreacting. Along with the lemons, the Rio Puelo carried millions of dollars worth of other goods whose delivery was significantly delayed because the ship was unable to enter port for a week. Not to mention the cost of the Coast Guard�s involvement�pegged at $860,000.
As federal investigators look deeper into the Lemon-gate affair, there is little doubt left that a business competitor was behind the hoax. Considering that a ban on Argentine lemons was lifted only in 2000�much to the dismay of U.S. citrus growers�there are plenty of suspects around at whom to point the finger.
If an anonymous email can lead to the destruction of a ship load of goods, the concerns of those in the food industry seem to be justified. �Every rumor that someone wants to plant cannot stop commerce like this one did, or commerce will not move,� said Christopher L. Koch, president of the World Shipping Council. Have we crossed the line from being conscientious about security to blocking the free flow of trade?
**********************************************
END QUOTE
�Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.�
--Ronald Reagan
**********************************************
ENJOYING "WHAT WE NOW KNOW"? - SUBSCRIBE AND PASS IT ALONG!
For a limited time, EVERYONE is invited to join the rapidly growing ranks of aficionados reading "What We Now Know"--the informative weekly e-letter from Casey Research you can trust to keep you ahead of the crowd on emerging trends in investments, technology, health... life!
Don't miss a single issue � click here to sign up for your FREE subscription now.
(October 18, 2004 -- 02:11 PM EDT // link //
Soon to join the jobless?
The DC Bureau chief of Sinclair Broadcasting, Jon Lieberman, is denouncing his employer's plan to air an hourlong, unpaid Swift Boat ad later this week, according to the Baltimore Sun.
"It's biased political propaganda, with clear intentions to sway this election ... For me, it's not about right or left -- it's about what's right or wrong in news coverage this close to an election."
Sinclair News VP Joe DeFeo has told Lieberman he risks being canned for speaking out and refusing to participate in the presentation of the 'documentary.'
-- Josh Marshall
-----------------------------------------------------------
(October 18, 2004 -- 11:39 PM EDT // link
Yep, like we said this afternoon, among the jobless.
Sinclair Broadcasting's Washington Bureau chief Jonathan Lieberman got canned this afternoon for denouncing Sinclair's Swift Boat stunt in an interview for this morning's Baltimore Sun.
I give this guy a lot of credit. I feel bad for him. And I really hope someone picks him up quickly.
But my strongest impression is simply the outlandish quality of this drama. It's like we're a banana republic suddenly. Or it's like the late 19th century in some unruly part of this country where the local papers and most of the legislators were owned by some railroad boss or some similar honcho or tycoon. Only now the rot and swindlerdom of it all is magnified by cutting edge technology.
-- Josh Marshall
News Hounds
We watch FOX so you don't have to.
October 19, 2004
First-Class Jerk Hannity Charges Almost $50,000 for Travel Expenses
News Hound Judy reported last week about Sean Hannity's champagne tastes in travel. Neither a first-class plane ticket nor a private jet was good enough for Sean Hannity so he canceled a speaking engagement at Washington University in St. Louis, then asked the students to lie about why he did so.
Now we have discovered that Hannity's travel requirements give new meaning to the term "high maintenance." On October 14, Brigham Young University NewsNet revealed that Hannity, who "volunteered" to speak at Utah Valley State College, submitted travel expenses in the amount of $49,850.
That must have been some trip! UVSC must be thanking their lucky stars that Sean is just a regular guy, not an elitist type. Who knows what the trip might have cost in that case?
Reported by ellen at October 19, 2004 01:50 AM
Iraq Contractor Accused Of Off-Shore Shell Game
www.guerrillanews.com...
Sinclair's Shame
By Don Hazen, AlterNet.
Posted October 18, 2004.
Angry citizens are hitting the right-wing broadcasting company where it hurts � in the wallet.
In the world of right-wing corporate media, Sinclair Broadcasting has long been overshadowed by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. and its cable mouthpiece Fox News.
But not any more.
Sinclair Broadcasting Group (SBGI) created an uproar last week when it announced its plans to force its affiliate stations to preempt regularly scheduled programming and air an anti-Kerry documentary, titled "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," just days before the election. It was a blatantly partisan move on the part of a company that owns 62 stations, many of which are in the critical swing states of Ohio, Florida, Iowa and Wisconsin. For example, in the highly contested state of Ohio, there are Sinclair stations in Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus.
Sinclair became an instant cause celebre, as diverse groups, individuals and activists instantly banded together to protest its decision. Within days, a vital and energetic grassroots movement was born.
A number of fast-acting blogs and web sites, including Daily Kos and Democratic Underground, quickly compiled lists of contact information to allow outraged citizens to take action. Others immediately constructed a web site, Boycottsbg.com, with a database of Sinclair advertisers so individuals could contact these companies and directly threaten to boycott their businesses if they did not pull their ads from Sinclair.
According to the media advocacy group Media Matters, an estimated 100,000 calls have been made to advertisers. And it's already taking effect � companies are pulling their ads in various parts of the country, including Maine and Wisconsin. According to the Portland Press Herald in Maine, Sinclair television station WGME's plan to air the anti-Kerry documentary prompted three Maine companies � Hannaford supermarkets, the Lee Auto Malls, and the law offices of Joe Bornstein � to pull their advertising from the Portland TV station.
Hitting Sinclair Where It Hurts
The rapidly growing, aggressive advertising boycott effort has already had a measurable financial impact on Sinclair, whose stock dropped 10 percent over the past week, closing on Friday at an all-time low of $7.04 � a $60 million loss in value.
The boycott is just one among Sinclair's increasing list of woes. A financial analyst from Lehman Brothers has warned that showing the film is "potentially damaging, both financially and politically." William M. Meyers wrote in his analysis for the company: "In a best case scenario, we believe that this decision could result in lost ad revenues. In a worst case scenario ... the decision may lead to higher political risk. As management has increased the company's political risk, we are reducing our 12-month price target to $9 (from $10)."
Meanwhile legal experts such as Stanford professor Lawrence Lessig predict that Sinclair shareholders will surely file lawsuits against the company's management. According to David S. Bennahum, Senior Fellow at Media Matters:
[A]s a publically traded company, Sinclair Broadcasting Group directors have a responsibility to ensure that Sinclair takes actions consistent with enhancing shareholder value. Sinclair's decision to air "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" places partisan political interests ahead of shareholder value by jeopardizing the renewal of FCC licenses, stimulating grassroots advertiser boycotts and triggering potential investigations into the company's misuse of its licenses to use the public airwaves.
Media Matters is urging anyone who may be a shareholder in one of 20 mutual funds and six pension funds that invest in the company to request that their fund manager immediately divest their funds from Sinclair.
What Liberal Media?
The reason for the widespread anger is summed up by the blogger at Grass Roots Nation:
While Sinclair is hiding behind labels, claiming that this film and its subsequent programming is considered news, everybody � both conservative and progressive � can see what it really is: an in-kind donation to the Bush/Cheney campaign in the final stretch of the election cycle. This is the same company that refused to broadcast the Nightline episode of some months ago where Ted Koppel read the names of the soldiers killed in Iraq. At the time, they claimed it was too politically motivated. I guess they've come around, conveniently in time for the general election and conveniently in support of Bush/Cheney who happen to be their biggest hope for further media deregulation.
Sinclair is already a formidable force in the broadcasting industry. Its presence in 39 markets accounts for 24 percent of the national TV audience. According to the Center for Public Integrity, Sinclair owns or operates two stations, called "duopolies," in more markets (20) than any other media company in the country. The company, which reported 2003 revenues of $738 million, also owns or operates more television stations (62) than any media company.
The company is using its unmatched power to air a rabidly anti-Kerry documentary that slams the senator for his anti-war testimony in front of Congress in 1971, where he testified that U.S. forces routinely committed atrocities in Vietnam. The movie directly links � without offering any concrete evidence � his testimony to the suffering of American POWs who were being held in Vietnam at the time.
The documentary is more evidence of a carefully coordinated strategy between a variety of right-wing groups. The movie itself was produced independently by Carlton Sherwood, a former reporter for the Rev. Moon-owned Washington Times who has worked for his friend, Tom Ridge, at the Department of Homeland Security. While Sherwood has refused to name his financiers � he claims that the film was funded by "individuals and entities nationwide" � the anti-Kerry group, Swift Vets and POWs for Truth (formerly Swift Boat Veterans for Truth) is cross-promoting the film as part of its $1.4 million advertising campaign. And, of course, there's Sinclair, a company that gave 97 percent of its campaign contributions to the GOP, which plans to air the documentary as "news."
Sinclair's behavior challenges the absurd but persistent notion that the media in America is liberal. Imagine the uproar if ABC told its affiliate stations to pre-empt its primetime programming for a special showing of "Fahrenheit 9/11" or perhaps more appropriately "Going Upriver," the powerfully positive biography of John Kerry that focuses on the same time period as "Stolen Honor."
Of course it would never happen. And Lawrence Lessig explains why:
The Sinclair case demonstrates the contrast between the aggressive political stance of the ideologically conservative media corporations like Fox and Sinclair. In a world where "mainstream" broadcasters such as CBS are too timid to broadcast a plainly relevant story about war "too close" to an election, or where NBC refuses to license clips from "Meet the Press" because it wants to stay "neutral" in a political debate, the action by a concentrated, powerful, right-wing network to use its power to direct the election is bad. If we could break up the government supported monopolies of broadcasters, and change the culture among broadcasters generally, I'd have no problem with it. But now, in this culture, in an election this close, the decision stinks.
Now that Sinclair's right-wing bias has been outed to some extent, it is easier for the public to understand how unfair the corporate media system is to Democratic candidates like John Kerry and John Edwards. The Fox News Channel is essentially a 24/7 infomercial for the Republicans and the Bush campaign. Robert Greenwald's film "Outfoxed" documents in hilarious and stunning detail how language and frames coming out of the White House are repeated verbatim every hour of every day by Fox newscasters and commentators. For example, Sean Hannity says after every one of his shows, "Only [blank] days until George Bush is elected President." Can you imagine Larry King, Chris Matthews or Tim Russert saying anything similar?
Sinclair's Right-wing Record
But this current imbroglio is hardly the first time that Sinclair has made its conservative bias blatantly clear. For example, Sinclair's Fox affiliate in Madison, Wisc. � Fox 47 � was the only one among four local stations to refuse to air ads produced by the Democratic National Committee during the summer.
According to the Baltimore Sun, Sinclair also recently directed its stations to broadcast spots "declaring support for efforts of President Bush and other government leaders." Local anchors were drafted to tape the messages, "stirring internal fears that they were compromising their professional objectivity."
The company's best known for a program called "The Point," extreme right-wing commentary produced at its corporate headquarters in Maryland that its affiliates must air as part of their local evening news. It's delivered by Sinclair vice president of corporate relations Mark Hyman, who has claimed, among other things, that Sen. Kerry supported Communists, falsified military records and dodged the Army draft by enlisting in the Navy. Hyman routinely denounces leftist agendas and calls animal rights advocates "whackos."
Worse, viewers are tricked into thinking that Hyman's commentary is part of local news coverage, when in fact like much of the local coverage on Sinclair affiliates, it's produced at the corporate headquarters.
"Sinclair has turned localism on its head," Mark Cooper, research director of the Consumer Federation of America, told the Chicago Tribune. "Instead of using its right to pre-empt national programming to preserve a local voice, it wants to impose its political will on 62 local stations."
"Their whole business model is about cutting operating costs," Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president of the Media Access Project, said in the same article. "They fake the localism by presenting the hometown station feel but without any of the presence and journalism that local communities deserve."
Fighting Back
As the controversy has heated up, Sinclair has become more vague about its plans to air "Stolen Honor." A telephone recording at the company's headquarters claims, "The program has not been videotaped and the exact format of this unscripted event has not been finalized. Characterizations regarding the content are premature and are being promoted by groups pushing a political agenda." Nevertheless, Hyman says that criticisms about the documentary "are absurd." He told the AP: "Would they suggest a car bomb in Iraq is an in kind contribution to the Kerry campaign? Would they say that job losses is an in-kind contribution to the Kerry campaign? It is the news."
It may be that Sinclair underestimated the outrage that their decision would provoke and they are looking for a way out of the mess. Or maybe they are figuring the attention will help them, as it has Fox News. The station keeps on insisting that they have invited John Kerry on the air to respond to the allegations contained in the documentary. But Kerry campaign representatives, wary of being set up by the film, are demanding equal time for a program whose content will be determined by them. Stay tuned � literally � and we'll see how this latest skirmish in the media wars turns out.
Don Hazen is the Executive Editor of AlterNet.
Hmmm now what's GW's story gonna be?
Osama not in WANA regionak general : Islamabad, Oct 20: One of Pakistan's top military commanders has categorically ruled out the possibility of terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden of having taken sanctuary in the mountainous tribal region in the Pak-Afghan border. Read Full Story
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