Yes, Chicken Little…..
This time, the sky really is falling Shutdown 2013 is really not a budget negotiation. IT IS NOT. You do not pass and repeal laws in the United States of America through budget negotiations. Then what is this, really? What are the buffoons and shucksters in Congress at a stalemate over? Well, this time, it’s about nothing short of our democratic system of self-governance, which hangs in the balance: that would be Majority Rule by the people, through their elected representatives, as envisioned by the Founding Fathers and borne out in our Constitution. The terms being thrown around – “economic…
Iran Media Crackdown Intensifies as the Election Looms
The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New-York based independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide, reports on Iran’s intense crackdown on independent media ahead of the country’s presidential election in June. According to the analysis done by the organization, Iran currently has at least 40 journalists in prison, the second-highest total in the world and a figure that reflects the government’s continuing determination to silence independent coverage of public affairs. Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa Coordinator said that Iranian officials were “determined to silence independent coverage of public affairs” in anticipation of the upcoming election. He…
The Tree of Liberty and The Roots of All Evil
And liberty and justice…for those who can afford it… Corruption. It’s one of the few issues that everyone, on every “side” simply detests. Regardless of the spin put on it or the arguments and justifications for its practice, most will agree there is simply no excuse for it. And while generally bandied like a partisan beach ball, with each side trying desperately to condemn the other for their influences and complicity, while bending over backwards to justify their own, so much is lost in the process. Despite this endless noise and outrage, the roots of corruption, the very mechanics of…
Thousand Dollar Amens: Sarah Palin’s Money-for-Drivel
It was recently reported that Sarah Palin’s lucrative, $3 million for 3 years, contract is ending at Fox News and the one-time vice presidential nominee will be parting ways with the news agency. Of course people should be rewarded for their hard work. To succeed through hard work is the embodiment of the American spirit, and that’s something we can all get behind. But let’s take a closer look at Ms. Palin’s salary — $3,000,000 for three years. Not bad, one might think, that’s comparable to other talking heads at Fox, MSNBC, and CNN. But then you take an inquisitive fingernail…
The Language War
How an issue is framed in large part determines our attitudes toward it. That seems obvious. But the critical importance of controlling the message by controlling the language is not so obvious. Profound changes to America have occurred, or been attempted, with small changes in the language. The Right has been successful in getting their words and phrases into everyday usage in large part because they are fighting the language wars, and they seem to be winning it. Global Warming becomes “climate change”, the Affordable Healthcare Act becomes Obamacare, common-sense gun laws become an attack on the 2nd amendment, government…
Recent Comments