What would America's attitude be toward the government today if the news media reported the news like they did when Bill Clinton was president?
International Level: Politician / Political Participation: 102 10.2%
I think it would be very, very different. The major news media was definitely sympathetic to Bill Clinton's foreign and domestic policies. They did have "fun" with his personal problems, but it did appear to be "in fun" for them, as they were the first to defend him from prosecution for his lawlessness.
However, today, the major news media is obviously very hostile towards George W. Bush and any of his domestic or foreign policies. They do everything possible to embarrass and weaken him, even if they have to invent stories (think Dan Rather and his fall due to manufactured "evidence" that was supposedly "fake but accurate").
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 854 85.4%
Not to sound rude, but that is a fairly biased statement and view of the media. Some people consider the taking of freedoms and liberty to be more important than lying about cheating with your wife when it comes to a president. Yet the media lambasted Clinton for lying about having an affair. The reality is that I remember hearing something bad about Clinton nearly every news cast his entire Presidency.
The funny thing about these types of comments is that Democrats are making the same comments Republicans did. They are saying that the media is letting Bush off easy and not reporting the whole truth as to make him look not as bad. The fact is that they are handling the last two presidents very much the same. They focus on things that the presidents put in front of them to draw attention away from the real scandals that the media should be reporting on. Point in case, Clinton got away with very little coverage of the fact that nearly everyone who could implicate him in Whitewater died. In this era, nearly all the evidence that Bush and his cabinet knew no WMD's existed in Iraq, including White House memo's has been kept out of the major main stream media broadcasts.
The fact is that if you watch any type of main stream media, you will get spoon fed what ever the government wants you to hear. If you listed to party line media, you will end up getting spoon fed the far wing of that party's line of garbage and nice little sayings that you can use to feed your party line thinking. Only true independent media, funded only by its listeners like link TV can give you real news that is free of influence from government and industry.
That is why the media applauded Clinton's totally illegal involvement in Bosnia, and has lied about Bush's work in Iraq from day 1. The media thought it was wonderful when Clinton bombed an aspirin factory, yet lambasted Bush for every time a shot has gone wild in Iraq. They complained that Bush hadn't caught Saddam, then complained that he had. They complain that he hasn't caught Osama, but overlook the fact that a couple of countries OFFERED Osama to Clinton, but Clinton didn't want to stop him.
The media applauds Kerry's and Murtha's charges of atrocities without evidence, but condemn the military when it doesn't find evidence that doesn't exist.
Perhaps it is just a point of view. But there is no doubt in my mind that the mainstream news media would much rather air the condemnations of lowlifes such as Kerry, Murtha, and Kennedy than the honorable actions of our military members.
The country, as far as I am concerned, is going to hell in a handbasket, and the news media is only contributing to it. Heck, have you noticed that some of the most important news (according to ABCBSCNNBCMSNBC....) is all about itself? How many news stories have there been about Katie Couric, Dan Rather, and Anderson (whatever his name is)? Those are far more important matters to the news media than the fact that over 500 fully charged WMDs have been found in Iraq. Right?
Do you really want to talk about taking of liberties? How about the Left's refusal to allow school choice, or its insistence that abortion rights trump the rights of parents? How about the fact that the Left is determined to redefine the basic principles of American society, starting with marriage, and ending with how people defend themselves? What, exact, liberties have President Bush removed from you? What freedoms that existed in 1906 do not exist right now?
Oh, yes, I can name one. Now our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are imprisoned in shackles, without charges, based on the rantings of the Leftist loonies. If there was a crime, they should be punished. But they certainly aren't offered the basic Constitutional guarantees of "assumed innocent until proven guilty." This certainly is thanks to President Bush - and his bending over to worship at the feet of Leftists.
But let's talk about the freedoms and liberties that the Left has attacked, but which the media fully agrees with.
In 1906, if a politician invoked the name of supreme deity, he was applauded. In 1906, children weren't thrown out of school for reading the Bible on their own time. In 1906, people had guns in their homes, on their buggies, at work, and they didn't need them because criminals knew that they would DIE if they attacked the wrong person. Now, it is a crime in a very great many places, including Washington DC and Chicago for an individual to own ANY guns for self defense.
In 2006, all those liberties are gone.
In 1906, if a farmer wanted to dam up a stream to make a pond for his horses, he did it. If he wanted to irrigate a field, he did it. If he wanted to cut down a tree, he did it. If a homeowner wanted to put a tall flagpole on his property, he did it.
In 2006, thanks to the Left, a farmer is forbidden to even TOUCH a "wetland" area. If he cuts down a tree without performing an "environmental impact survey", he gets arrested. Homeowners get thrown out of their homes if they put up a flagpole or a shrine to the Virgin Mary in their own yard.
In 1906, all over the country, courthouses and communities placed monuments with the 10 Commandments, crosses, and other religious icons on them in parks, in the courthouses, in the public arena. In 2006, the city of San Diego is still fighting to keep a long-standing monument that includes a cross. And it looks like San Diego is going to lose the battle. The city of Los Angeles had to remove a symbol from its seal, because it indicated the fact that Los Angeles started as a Catholic Mission. History is rewritten, and the religious (christian) elements of US society are spat upon by the Left, and their willing accomplices - the mainstream media.
While the left, and the media, complains about nonexistent attacks on liberty and human rights from the Right, they, the Left and the media, successfully accomplish their attacks on the social and historical values of the entire country.
At least in my opinion.
Edited: Nighthawk on 23rd Jun, 2006 - 2:50pm
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 854 85.4%
Konquererz
QUOTE |
In this era, nearly all the evidence that Bush and his cabinet knew no WMD's existed in Iraq, including White House memo's has been kept out of the major main stream media broadcasts. |
International Level: Politician / Political Participation: 102 10.2%
QUOTE |
That is why the media applauded Clinton's totally illegal involvement in Bosnia, and has lied about Bush's work in Iraq from day 1. |
QUOTE |
They complain that he hasn't caught Osama, but overlook the fact that a couple of countries OFFERED Osama to Clinton, but Clinton didn't want to stop him. |
QUOTE |
The media applauds Kerry's and Murtha's charges of atrocities without evidence, but condemn the military when it doesn't find evidence that doesn't exist. |
QUOTE |
The country, as far as I am concerned, is going to hell in a hand basket, and the news media is only contributing to it. |
QUOTE |
Those are far more important matters to the news media than the fact that over 500 fully charged WMDs have been found in Iraq. Right? |
QUOTE |
Do you really want to talk about taking of liberties? How about the Left's refusal to allow school choice, or its insistence that abortion rights trump the rights of parents? How about the fact that the Left is determined to redefine the basic principles of American society, starting with marriage, and ending with how people defend themselves? What, exact, liberties have President Bush removed from you? What freedoms that existed in 1906 do not exist right now? |
QUOTE |
Oh, yes, I can name one. Now our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are imprisoned in shackles, without charges, based on the rantings of the Leftist loonies. If there was a crime, they should be punished. |
QUOTE |
In 1906, if a politician invoked the name of supreme deity, he was applauded. In 1906, children weren't thrown out of school for reading the Bible on their own time. In 1906, people had guns in their homes, on their buggies, at work, and they didn't need them because criminals knew that they would DIE if they attacked the wrong person. Now, it is a crime in a very great many places, including Washington DC and Chicago for an individual to own ANY guns for self defense. |
QUOTE |
While the left, and the media, complains about nonexistent attacks on liberty and human rights from the Right, they, the Left and the media, successfully accomplish their attacks on the social and historical values of the entire country. |
QUOTE |
Hasn't the, "Bush knew," and "Bush lied" thing has been blown out of the water with the recent finding of over 500 chemical warheads? |
QUOTE (konquererz @ 8-Jul 06, 11:20 PM) |
Finding 500 chemical war-heads, empty, with the residue being inactive for at least ten years, is the the war-heads you are talking about? No, that information strengthens the fact that no wmd's existed. If it was proof, Bush would have jumped all over it say "I told you so!" |
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 854 85.4%
Then it sounds like in reality we agree more than we realize. Because I don't believe that there is a real difference between the right and the left, but rather that they clog the real issues with battles over legislated morality that never get passed and there never was an intention of passing them. Remember, the democrats also wanted to go to war for the most part, the vote was fairly lop sided. And yes, the media is indeed fueling this divide because its good news and they don't want to report what is really happening.
As for the chemical weapons, I suppose this opinion truly depends on which report you want to believe, I choose to believe the first one put out by independent news. I don't believe they could be used any more. As for the "bush lied" meme, well, I understand the idea of a meme complex, but the evidence is rather extraordinary. I believed this due to the actual evidence that came out long before it was popular to say it. Indeed, nearly every opinion about government takes on the trappings of a meme complex in our society. Just look at the fact that nearly every right wing conservative says the exact same things about Clinton, he had an affair. Well sure he did, and sure he was a bad president, but does anyone really know the real reason? Not many, he was a freakin crook and a murderer, it had nothing to do with having an affair and lying about it, that was a wonderful little hobgoblin creation to mask the fact that he was neck deep into Whitewater and everyone else involved was dying.
In short, the media indeed has created the ultimate environment for the government to get away with anything. They have created an artificial believe by the american public that there is some sort of difference between the two parties now. The attitude of nearly every right wing conservative is that the democrats are trying to make this country an atheist state and tax us to death. The attitude of left wing liberals is that the republicans are trying to make this country into a theocracy where morals are forced on us. The fact of the matter is that if we all listened to news organizations that did not have major lobbyist in the government like Ted Turner and Ruppert Murdock, then perhaps we could have an accurate picture of what was going on. I have an independent news special that just came out regarding the election antics. The fact is that nothing about that "re-count" in florida was right. In fact if the media would have been honest, the Gore and Bush would have been in some serious legal trouble for some very real criminal voter fraud. Bush in Florida and Gore else where. But the media played it much differently didn't they, making us each chose a side when both where corrupt. Its the attitude that one side must be on our side when the reality is that we are no longer holding our government accountable and the media no longer holds them accountable either. It doesn't matter if its Bush or someone else in office, they will print just enough to sound non-biased, but they are all quid pro quo, making sure the REAL story never gets shown to the vast majority of the american public. They aren't Bush bashing, they are doing the same thing they did with Clinton, telling the least alarming part of the story to protect them from the really bad stuff they are doing.