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Last login: 3 hours agoCurly789er: Ryan is a 25 year old single guy from St. Cloud, Mn, Minnesota, USA.; Likes 7,627 pages, 1,274 videos, 382 photos • 429 fans • Received 58 reviews; Member since Mar 23, 2005

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http://qc.createdebate.com/img/blog_article_images/disagreement-hierarchy.jpg: May 10, 7:59pm 1 review logic, mathematics, political-science, politics, geometry
http://qc.createdebate.com/img/blog_article_images/disagreement-hierarchy.jpg

Why Big Media Needs Propaganda to Survive - CommonDreams.org: May 9, 10:48am 4 reviews activism, liberal-politics, politics, journalism, propaganda
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/09/8840/; Why Big Media Needs Propaganda to Survive

by Megan Tady

The mainstream media are as likely to report on Pentagon propaganda -- and thus, themselves -- as President Bush is likely to cede that "mission accomplished" was poor phrasing. That is, it ain't ever gonna happen.

The mainstream media have instituted a news blackout on the New York Times exposé, casting a dark cloak over the story with the wave of a magician's wand. Perhaps with this media sleight-of-hand, we'll soon forget that that this story ever existed.

To avoid being duped, we need to understand not just why the mainstream media are mum on this scandal, but how they created the scandal in the first place. Just how does propaganda creep unnoticed into everyday reporting?

If you haven't heard already, just six corporations control most of what we read, watch and listen to every day. These corporate giants are motivated entirely by profit, not public service. So as Big Media get bigger, gobbling up more newspapers, radio stations and TV networks through consolidation, our media system actually gets smaller. Corporate execs have gutted newsrooms, shuttered foreign bureaus and slashed spending on investigative reporting.

Staff-strapped media outlets rely increasingly on packaged punditry to fill the void left by investigative reporting and informed debate about the nation's most important issues.

The "C" in consolidation also stands for "cookie-cutter" journalism, with most reporters falling in line to deliver the official view of the news. Getting a diversity of voices in our news is hardly even a putative goal these days. C also stands for "cheap": Real reporting is expensive compared to staged shouting matches.

Corporate owners have a vested interest in keeping courageous and intelligent reporting a journalism-school dream, especially when it comes to the Iraq war. After all, General Electric doesn't want its reporters at MSNBC to question the war while it's busy churning out Apache helicopters. It turns out that everyone -- from the military analysts espousing Pentagon rhetoric to the corporate news owners to the government itself -- have shared interests in leading the American people to war.

To consolidate their control, Big Media owners like Rupert Murdoch have cozied up to Washington, deploying legions of lobbyists and lawyers to craft U.S. communications policy, while doling out millions of dollars in campaign contributions to squelch any challenge from elected officials.

Hence, propaganda, misinformation and government spin become the daily news norm -- so normal, in fact, that many in the news punditocracy are having trouble understanding what all the hoopla over propaganda is about. Isn't this the way news is "made"?

There are still many hard-working, well-meaning journalists in the mainstream media producing quality journalism. Unfortunately, the corporate leash let's very few reporters stray so far. It's becoming increasingly difficult for most to do their jobs.
Weak and lightheaded, the junk news we now call journalism is now entirely incapable of fulfilling its mission to hold government and corporate actors accountable, to report in the public's interest, and to critique itself for wrongdoing.

There's already a concerted effort from activists and the blogosphere to urge Congress to investigate the Pentagon's propaganda scheme, and Congress has responded.

But the problems run much deeper. Right now, there's a "resolution of disapproval" before Congress that, if passed, would take a first step toward stopping the media consolidation that has lead American journalism down the propaganda path.

(Concluding paragraphs at the link.)

Untitled Page: May 7, 11:57am 1 review liberal-politics, political-science, politics, hillary-clinton, barack-obama
http://www.theimproper.com/Template_Article.aspx?IssueId=3&ArticleId=1482; Tim Russert: 'It's Obvious Who the Nominee Is'

MSNBC political commentator Tim Russert says Sen. Hillary Clinton now knows that Democratic rival Barack Obama will be the Democratic presidential nominee. Hillary's campaign is now "on life support," according to Russert.

In an interview Tuesday night, Russert says Hillary has " a lot of soul-searching to do," and has canceled all her TV appearances Wednesday because she knows deep down she's being delusional if she thinks she can still pull off a victory.

(Video at the link.)

Daily Kos: OBAMA: 43 SDs TO CINCH: May 6, 11:20pm 5 reviews liberal-politics, political-science, politics, hillary-clinton, barack-obama
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/4/24/02723/7112/307/502085; Obama needs only 37 more unpledged superdelegates to clinch the nomination.

That's right. Not 100, not 60. Just 37. At 37 more currently-named, unpledged superdelegates, Obama and his supporters can claim that Hillary Clinton cannot win.

Here's why:

1. If you've played strategic boardgames, you know that the cardinal rule is that you declare victory and stop playing when your win is possible and your opponent's is not. At that point, your opponent becomes irrelevant. Remember McCain vs. Huckabee?

2. 305 UNPLEDGED SUPERDELEGATES IS A MYTH. Please repeat this over and over. There are only 240 undeclared Superdelegates, because 65 are Add-Ons, and their selection process is not arbitrary.

When Obama wins another 37 superdelegates, although he has not yet reached 2024 delegates, his supporters will be able to argue that as a matter of practicality, Hillary Clinton no longer has a viable path to 2024 delegates.

Read why on the jump.

Move over, journalists: Jon Stewart is here - Television- msnbc.com: May 6, 11:20pm 2 reviews liberties, tv, journalism, fox-news, jon-stewart
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24342824/23011310; Satire is the last vestige of truth.

Tinklenberg for Congress Home: May 6, 11:19pm 1 review liberal-politics, minnesota, michele-bachmann, el-tinklenberg
http://www.tinklenberg08.com/; El Tinklenberg (DFL) is running against Michele Bachmann in Minnesota's 6th congressional district.

Is Michele Bachmann an evil witch?

youtube.com/results [youtube.com/results]

Click and decide for yourself!

Barack Obama | Change We Can Believe In | Results: May 6, 11:19pm 5 reviews liberal-politics, political-science, politics, news, barack-obama
http://origin.barackobama.com/resultscenter/; State-by-State Primary Results

Obama: 1870
Hillary: 1699

Remaining: 6 states, 217 delegates.

At this point, Hillary will lose if she can't get greater than 80% of the remaining delegates.

It's not gonna happen.

The only thing left to consider now is the superdelegates.

Will they uphold the decision of the majority? Will they support the millions of Americans who turned out in record numbers to vote?

If Hillary and her powerful husband try to twist the arms of superdelegates to overturn the will of the majority, they'll alienate voters and destroy the Democratic party.

If the Clintons care about the Democratic party and the millions of American voters who turned out in record numbers, they should drop out now.

http://www.caglecartoons.com/images/preview/%7B33EBBF11-B6F2-4EA5-A63F-7A8EB07EB…: May 6, 7:37am 15 reviews liberal-politics, humor, politics, hillary-clinton, barack-obama
http://www.caglecartoons.com/images/preview/%7B33EBBF11-B6F2-4EA5-A63F-7A8EB0...

http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/yellow-orwell-postcard…: Apr 20, 1:06pm 29 reviews liberal-politics, liberties, satire, fascism, george-orwell
http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/yellow-orwell-postc...; via leatherwings.stumbleupon.com [leatherwings.stumbleupon.com]

Noam Chomsky â€“ Mohawk Valley Formula & Listen free at Last.fm: Apr 20, 1:05pm 1 review activism, liberal-politics, liberties, unions, noam-chomsky
http://www.last.fm/music/Noam+Chomsky/_/Mohawk+Valley+Formula; The Mohawk Valley Formula

(click to hear audio)

How to bust a worker's union:

1. When a strike is threatened, label the union leaders as "agitators" to discredit them with the public and their own followers. Conduct balloting under the foremen to ascertain the strength of the union and to make possible misrepresentation of the strikers as a small minority. Exert economic pressure through threats to move the plant, align bankers, real estate owners and and businessmen into a "Citizens' Committee".

2. Raise high the banner of "law and order", thereby causing the community to mass legal and police weapons against imagined violence and to forget that employees have equal rights with others in the community.

3. Call a "mass meeting" to coordinate public sentiment against the strike and strengthen the Citizens' Committee.

4. Form a large police force to intimidate the strikers and exert a psychological effect. Utilize local police, state police, vigilantes and special deputies chosen, if possible, from other neighborhoods.

5. Convince the strikers their cause is hopeless with a "back-to-work" movement by a puppet association of so-called "loyal employees" secretly organized by the employer.

6. When enough applications are on hand, set a date for opening the plant by having such opening requested by the puppet "back-to-work" association.

7. Stage the "opening" theatrically by throwing open the gates and having the employees march in a mass protected by squads of armed police so as to dramatize and exaggerate the opening and heighten the demoralizing effect.

8. Demoralize the strikers with a continuing show of force. If necessary turn the locality into a warlike camp and barricade it from the outside world.

9. Close the publicity barrage on the theme that the plant is in full operation and the strikers are merely a minority attempting to interfere with the "right to work". With this, the campaign is over--the employer has broken the strike.

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