Tag: W Bush

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Who really cares?

So I’m truly disturbed at how blind and utterly idiotic some people are in the way they turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the truth. Or is it people still make decisions in this world based on Faith, a roll of the dice, the popularity contest, a gut feeling or just plane simply… on what others tell them. As Americans we are so quick to judge someone based on what they do in their personal lives and we fail to pass equal judgment on those that lie, betray, and beseech our support for “truths” and in turn put our entire country into further jeopardy. It’s all about who you like despite the pitfalls of what’s behind them right… I’m talking about our current gov. administration. The same clan of people who have totally disregarded our own set of values, freedoms, and safety for their own personal gains.

We have an administration that has allowed attacks on our own soil to occur, ignoring warnings, and used them to further their own agendas for controlling freedoms, “tightening security” and increasing spending on governmental sponsored programs (and companies) to further their own interest (as well as their friends).

A government that is destroying the environment, by refusing environmental impact standards so big businesses can save money.

A government that has taken our country to war based on falsified and unchecked information from sources that we instilled in the country – the same sources that were selling American secrets to other countries. Where’s the WMDs? And now that we know the war is for Oil, Why the Fuck am I still paying 2.60 for gas!!! Who did the war benefit exactly?

And now we have an election year where half of the people (half those polled) seem to still want this type of repressive, lying, greedy, disrespectful, and fat cat government.

I heard the other day a republican say… “Ya know I really don’t like Bush, I don’t like what he’s done with the country. But I’m not voting for Kerry.” Why I ask. “Well at least with Bush I know what bad I can expect.”

WHAT THE FUCK kinda reasoning is that! Oh well Bush has put America in the largest deficit ever, alienated all but 2 allies, took over 2 countries – which he still has failed to help build back up as promised, our economy heading into the shit, job loss is at record highs, and our environment is down the drains… Hmmm Well I don’t see how ANYONE can fuck it up worse than Bush already has and I would hate to see how much worse 4 more years does to this country…

Last I hate to hear this whole thing about “Swing States”. It’s like the media projects on to the country that only these states will decide the election because it’s virtually already decided whom all the other states will vote for… Hmmm Great way to instill the virtues of voting for our younger generation.. “You have to get out and VOTE!!! .. but only if you live in the swing states because it doesn’t matter in the others… ”

I’d be shocked to see an increase in younger voter turn out after this Republican spin job…If you’re 18-24 I suggest you vote Kerry unless you WANT the draft to be reinstated and want to ride in badly armored vehicles in Iraq, you WANT further lying to the American people, you WANT more hidden government… Good luck guys….

Do you really care about the life you have and the life your children will be left with? Then Just Vote – No matter where you are…

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Bush vs… & Stern vs… and Your Freedoms

Please take the time to read this…Your Freedoms are being stripped from under you – Here’s a commentators Example:

Repost of Maureen Farrell Article at BuzzFlash.com

March 2,2004

As the Worm Turns: Stern, Sully and the Bush Backlash

by Maureen Farrell

Thirty-six years ago, Walter Cronkite returned from a visit to Vietnam and set the nation straight. "We’ve been too often disappointed by the optimism of the American leaders, both in Vietnam and Washington, to have faith any longer in the silver linings they find in the darkest clouds, " he said. "For it seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate."

"If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost the country," President Johnson remarked.

Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock for the past two years can see how fitting these remarks are today — not only as they relate to this White House’s determination to whitewash its blunders, but to the media’s power to shape public opinion. And while Howard Stern is no Walter Cronkite, former EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman recently explained the extent of Stern’s clout. "Eleven years ago, Howard Stern endorsed me for Governor," she told Bill Maher. "I want to tell you, in the closest races that I had, that made a difference."

Listed by FOX last March as one of the "pro-Bush celebs [missing] out on the limelight," [Fox News] Stern has since rethought his position. On Feb. 26 (the day Stern’s program was suspended in half a dozen Clear Channel markets), he not only said that the Bush administration doesn’t know what it is doing in Iraq, but within a ten minute span pointed out that:

  • Al Gore won the election.
  • Bush did not fulfill his duty in the National Guard.
  • George W. will never admit that Poppy Bush pulled stings to get him into the Guard and keep him out of Vietnam.
  • There are several questions about Bush’s character.

While callers to the show repeatedly expressed dismay that Stern was taken off the air in certain cities, one fan expressed the overall mood by saying that the new FCC/Clear Channel tactics are reminiscent of Nazi book burnings. Never mind that the canaries in the proverbial coal mine were chirping a similar tune last year, back when radio stations were organizing Dixie Chick CD demolitions, the distant rumbling of goose-stepping is now being heard by former Bush supporters, too. Dubbing Clear Channel "fear channel," Stern warned that the "fascist right-wing" is "getting so much power."

The following day, Stern was even more forceful. "Get rid of George W. Bush," he said, adding that Bush is "dangerous" and has a "religious agenda." By Monday, March 1, Stern was circumspect. "There’s a real good argument to be made that I stopped backing Bush and that’s when I got kicked off Clear Channel," he aid.

After Stern was pulled from six cities, including Orlando, Miami and Pittsburgh (which, coincidentally, are important markets in important swing states), John Hogan, president of 1,200-station Clear Channel, appeared before members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and apologized for letting Stern say the things he’s been saying for years. "I accept responsibility for our mistake, and my company will live with the consequences of its actions," Hogan said.

"I don’t think what [Stern] said this week was different from things he’s said before," Rep. Fred Upton said. "Why didn’t you do this earlier? Has he actually changed his tune?"

"I don’t think he’s changed his tune, but we’ve changed ours. We’re going in a different direction at Clear Channel Radio," Hogan responded. [The Hollywood Reporter]

While that’s all fine and well, if quality programming really is a top priority, why did Clear Channel recently hire Michael Savage at Houston ‘s KPRC? Isn’t Mr. Hogan aware that Savage was fired from MSNBC for referring to a caller as a "sodomite" who should "get AIDS and die"? And, if vulgarity truly is the issue, what was Clear Channel’s complaint against disc jockey Charles Goyette?

In an article entitled "How to Lose Your Job in Talk Radio: Clear Channel Gags an Antiwar Conservative," Goyette discussed why he believes he was removed from his prime-time spot at KFYI in Phoenix. "Why did this happen? Why only a couple of months after my company picked up the option on my contract for another year in the fifth-largest city in the United States, did it suddenly decide to relegate me to radio Outer Darkness?" he asked. "The answer lies hidden in the oil-and-water incompatibility of these two seemingly disconnected phrases: ‘Criticizing Bush’ and ‘Clear Channel.’"

Saying that badmouthing Bush and his fairy tale war was enough to derail his career, Goyette explained a policy that, from his vantage point, seemed to be company wide. "Criticism of Bush and his ever-shifting pretext for a first-strike war (what exactly was it we were pre-empting anyway?) has proved so serious a violation of Clear Channel’s cultural taboo that only a good contract has kept me from being fired outright," he wrote. Fellow Clear Channel D.J. Roxanne Cordonier (Roxanne Walker), however, wasn’t so lucky. "Her lawsuit against the company alleges that she was belittled on the air and reprimanded by her station for opposing the invasion of Iraq. Then she was fired," Goyette explained.

By now, ties between the Texas-based Clear Channel and the President of the United States are legendary. Clear Channel’s vice chairman Tom Hicks "made Bush a millionaire," while Clear Channel stations were a staple at "’pro-troop rallies,’ which, by many accounts, "were virtually indistinguishable from pro-Bush rallies." [AmConMag.com]

So, was Stern taken off the air because of the shock waves emanating from Janet Jackson’s breast? Or is there, as Stern and others suggest, more to this story?

Oddly enough, Rush Limbaugh’s twisted defense of Stern provides a clue. Though Limbaugh was somewhat brave and honorable to speak out, the spin Limbaugh placed on the incident speaks volumes. This was Limbaugh’s take, courtesy of Matt Drudge:

"Smut on TV gets praised. Smut on TV wins Emmys. On radio, there seems to be different standards. I’ve never heard Howard Stern. But when the federal government gets involved in this, I get a little frightened. If we are going to sit by and let the federal government get involved in this, if the government is going to ‘censor’ what they think is right and wrong… What happens if a whole bunch of John Kerrys, or Terry McAuliffes start running this country? And decide conservative views are leading to violence? I am in the free speech business. It’s one thing for a company to determine if they are going to be party to it. It’s another thing for the government to do it." [DrudgeReport.com]

John Kerry? Terry McAuliffe? Why not mention that the FCC is headed by Colin Powell’s son, Michael? And what about Clear Channel’s ample ties to Bush? This bit of spin ventures so deeply into the Land of Intellectual Dishonesty, it’s easy to see why, given the value of propaganda, Limbaugh is said to have received a $35 million signing bonus when he signed his reported $250 million contract back in 2001. 

And, given the evidence (particularly since Howard Stern himself is now openly asking if his censorship woes didn’t begin with his criticism of Bush) one wonders if Stern’s political change of heart didn’t have something to do with Clear Channel’s preemptive strike.  "Maybe they did it as a favor to Bush?" Stern asked.

Of course, a year ago, in the midst of war fever, things were even worse. Last March, for example, when John Kerry said "we need a regime change in the United States,” RNC Chairman Marc Racicot started frothing at the mouth. "Senator Kerry crossed a grave line when he dared to suggest the replacement of America ‘s commander-in- chief at a time when America is at war," Racicot said, as if presidential elections were a plot in the mind of traitorous renegades.[BuzzFlash.com]

These days, however, former Bush loyalist Howard Stern isn’t the only one openly calling for Bush’s ouster, as another of the President’s most ardent (and at times, embarrassingly fawning) supporters is now seeing things more clearly. Though Andrew Sullivan has been described as falling "to his own knees before President Bush" [Salon.com]), last week, following Bush’s call for a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, Andrew Sullivan.com was abuzz with a flurry of anti-Bush commentary from people who are also beginning to awaken to the dangers we face. How striking is this turn of events? Imagine Charlton Heston suddenly expressing a distaste for firearms.

Explaining his shift in perspective, Sullivan wrote: "It was because I believed in the Constitution of the United States that I felt no qualms in backing this president and in fighting rhetorical wars on his behalf – because that Constitution was under attack. . .  So you can see, perhaps, why the bid to write anti-gay discrimination into this very Constitution provokes such a strong response from me – and so many other people, gay and straight, and their families. It robs us of something no one in this country should be robbed of – equality and inclusion in the founding document itself. When people tell me that, in weighing the political choices, the war on terror should trump the sanctity of the Constitution, my response is therefore a simple one. The sanctity of the Constitution is what we are fighting for. We’re not fighting just to defend ourselves. We are fighting to defend a way of life: pluralism, freedom, equality under the law."

Sullivan received more than a thousand e-mails regarding "the president’s shocking embrace of discrimination in the Constitution," and as one e-mailer explained, "I have voted for every Republican nominee since Nixon and without regrets. Until now. I wish I could take back my 2000 vote. But, in any case, I will work to get out the vote for Kerry or Edwards. I will not vote for a President who secures the basest elements of his base by dividing Americans. And you know what: he is going to lose. That gay marriage announcement was the desperate act of a desperate man."

An independent voter who was planning to vote for Bush wrote that the President’s "disgraceful support for altering the nation’s constitution, in order to enshrine bigotry, division and scorn is the last straw," while a Special Ops solider put it this way:

"And so it now begins. My more liberal friends told me a day like this would come, and now I am forced to eat crow. Words cannot express the hurt and anger I feel for the man’s blatant constitutional and moral attack on a segment of our population. And for the still wobbly among us, make no mistake … this is an attack… I realized long ago I am (was) a Republican solely for foreign affairs. But that’s not good enough anymore. I’ve helped feed the Kurds in Northern Iraq, I’ve slept in the mud and rain to enforce peace treaties in eastern Europe, seated in 100 percent humidity in southeast Asia, and I dodged too many bullets and remote controlled bombs in and around Mosul to count. But I gladly did this (and will do it again) to protect the rights and liberties of ALL Americans, not just those of my family.

I voted for this man … despite what my family said, despite how many times I was smeared because I am African American and (was) a Republican, despite his joy in being an anti-intellectual … they warned me, they warned me and I didn’t listen … and now I am ashamed of myself. By all that I hold Holy it will never happen again!"

While the new anti-Bush attitude takes some getting used to, Sullivan’s observation about the hidden agenda behind the Federal Marriage Amendment is especially jarring — given that he’s openly dismissed Bush-related concerns as "conspiracy theories" in the past. Citing an email from a Republican lawyer who explained why he hasn’t "been sleeping well since Tuesday," Sullivan wrote that the proposed Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage "is just the beginning of the religious right agenda."

"[With] one amendment the religious right could wipe out access to birth control, abortion, and even non-procreative sex (as Senator Santorum so eagerly wants to do)," the anonymous lawyer wrote. "This debate isn’t only about federalism, it’s about the reversal of two hundred years of liberal democracy that respects individuals." [AndrewSullivan.com] Or, as Sullivan put it, "Memo to straights: you’re next."

Given how long Stern and Sullivan sang Bush’s praises (and how frequently those who warned about threats to Americans’ civil liberties were ridiculed) it’s comforting to know that they, and others, finally see it, too. "I have to say, I feel like a spoiled brat [voting for Nader] last time," Bill Maher recently told Hardball’s Chris Matthews. "It just showed me, people do not have the indulgence in most places in the world to vote for the lesser of two evils. . . They see evil, they got to get rid of it. Not that George Bush is evil incarnate, but he does have to be gotten rid of."  [MSNBC.com]

Of course, now that polls show that Kerry/Edwards ticket would beat Bush/Cheney by a margin of 50 percent to 42 percent (and a growing number of Republicans and independents say they won’t back Bush in 2004) perhaps our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end. Unless, of course, Bush really does "hit a trifecta" and Osama "October Surprise" bin Laden  is caught and paraded around the Republican National Convention; more voter roll shenanigans and Diebold glitches deliver another GOP "victory;" and a second terrorist attack leads, as Gen. Tommy Franks warned, to the suspension of the Constitution.

Yes, at this point, it seems that for Bush to win the presidential election, something wicked this way will have to come. And though there are those who have predicted that the future holds more wars, more crackdowns, a return to the draft and another terrorist attack [BuzzFlash.com], the fact that America’s lazy Stepford pundits are no longer asking, "Can anyone beat Bush?" is a promising sign.

"None of [the media] are alarmed as broadcasters that our rights are being taken away. It’s weird what’s going on," Stern mused on March 1.

Yep, Howard, we’ve been stuck in a seemingly never-ending episode of the Twilight Zone for quite some time now. But as more people awaken to the dangers lurking from within, perhaps there will be silver linings — even in the darkest clouds.


Maureen Farrell is a writer and media consultant who specializes in helping other writers get television and radio exposure.

© Copyright 2003, Maureen Farrell

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America the Vulnerable?

First off I would like to say, my thoughts and condolences go out to the families of those lives lost and are still missing, because of this horrific event that has occurred to our Nation. May their memories carry on and their deaths not be in vain. Life is precious and no one deserves a premature departure, especially from hands of ill intent. The moment of silence was all too eerie to me as a 100+ person office stood silent for their memories. I’d like to move forward and focus the rest of this post on the aftermath of these incidents and troubling times that we may have ahead.

This is now an all too familiar image that has now been burned in to the minds of all Americans and into the books of history forever. The last great memory of a national tragedy that happened to my generation was the explosion of the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. Of course we didn’t go to war over a frozen O-ring. This is some serious shit, which definitely requires some serious thought, action and resolve. Since it’s hard to not see, hear, or think about the events that happened to the USA on Sept, 11th, 2001 I’ll drop my take on these events, as of Sept. 15, 2001.

I’m sure anyone reading this is already on information overload as to what events happened this week. America basically got bitch-slapped by a small ban of guerrilla trained and financed terrorists, on our own land, by our own vehicles, and taught by our own people. Up until Sept 11th. everyone in America naively thought we were the most secure and protected nation in the world. Who would want to ever fuck with the “world’s greatest super power”? With the help of the national media, we as a nation never thought for a minute that there are people, factions, or nations that truly despise the US and it’s Gov. Why? Because information exchange in the USA is all controlled by the media which is ultimately controlled by our own Government (insert extravagant conspiracy theory here). Because as a nation, we are all sheltered people that don’t care about global policies or politics, let alone that some small Islamic nation in the Middle East (Palestine) is getting bent over by the predominate Jewish nation of Israel (with the help of US made weapons and finances). And despite the melting pot that this great nation is, American people still lack the desire to understand and tolerate other cultures, races, and religions.

Wake the Fuck Up America and pull your self-centered head out of your ass!

Now I sit here and think, given our state of complacency, the US was never prepared for this type of action against it. But being domestically prepared for this type of attack is a reactive solution to terrorism – how can we truly be prepared for attack, when in actuality we should be a nation that does not warrant such an attack in the first place. If the US is going to claim itself as the world’s super power, we need to act like it in our actions, our policies (domestic and foreign) and in our treatment of people in general all over the world. The immediate solution to this disaster should not be reactive in force but in the changing of our domestic and foreign policies for the good of the world. Now I am not saying that no action should be taken against the perpetrators of this disaster, but because I know we have the time, resources and will to destroy anything and anyone we want to, we should show the world that we are morally superior and truly democratic in nature by acting against these terrorists with firm legal justice rather than weapons of destruction. An eye for an eye justice, does not destroy terrorism, in fact these people feel death for there cause is superior to life itself. Violence is reciprocal in nature, but so is peace.

Why did they do this? What is the nation going to about it? What should you do about it? – These are all things you should think and understand on your own, not answered by the media or even our government to some extent.

Did the terrorists leave a little note on the door of the White House explaining what their intentions were? No. But like most nosy Americans we can all prejudge and speculate why these actions were taken against us, huh? DON’T. Know the facts and motives before you make a judgmental decision. We know that terrorists have tried to destroy the World Trade Center before and failed. Why the WTC? Because it’s one of the greatest symbols of American Capitalism and wealth. I can speculate that the terrorists wanted to attack America at its heart: Our pocket book. We are greedy people and what better way to send a message to the people than to hurt that which we love so much…our financial institutions (money). They also went after the Pentagon. Why the Pentagon? It is one of the most recognized symbols of the American Government and military forces in the world. I would also speculate that United Airlines flight 93 that crashed in PA was also headed for any one of our other governmental facilities in Washington DC, like the Capital building or the White House. What better way to attack our government than to go after the dominate symbols of our government, US governmental facilities in Washington DC? No mistake about it. The attack on America on Sept. 11th, is a direct attack on the people and the government of United States and oh yeah, we are definitely pissed off because of it!

When you attack institutions like these in any nation, is it any wonder that the nation will rise up and unify against these personal attacks? Can you get an idea now about how the Iraqi and Palestinian people feel about the US? It’s amazing how many people are coming out in support of our wounded nation, morning the loss of innocent victims of this tragedy and displaying their American patriotism through physical and financial support. This new found unity could potentially dissolve our hyphenated culture (we could only hope): Mexican-Americans/Chinese-Americans/African-Americans and millions of other like-minded Americans are newly juxtaposed in focus, determination and patriotism (we should all hope so to that extent). It is important for our nations people, not to loose this cultural and patriotic focus to the “evils” of more terrorism (as our president puts it). Congressionally backed President Bush is vowing to go to WAR against terrorism. Dubya is pulling reserves, pulling political resources (Pakistan vowed it’s cooperation today for any US actions against Afghanistan), and is gearing up to start a holy war. Does anyone else see the monumental flaw in these actions? One man, driven by his religion of choice (Christianity) is speaking for an entire nation, vowing to destroy these terrorists (predominately of Islamic decent, in Islamic nations), hoping to end global terrorist activity; when history knows the origins of this terrorist activity, centers around a Jewish and Islamic religious battle started thousands of years ago in the Middle East. Involving the United States in the killing of more innocent people is not going resolve terrorist activity in the world and it is my belief that it will actually escalate the amount of terrorist activity in the world by further dividing people/nations/religions and creating even more enemies for the United States.

The leader of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, Supreme Leader Mullah Mohammed Omar said the Afghan people should not be afraid and that he was not afraid of dying. Omar also said that if the United States acts without evidence it is committing terrorism itself. Taliban officials have said that if the United States did have evidence against bin Laden, he would be tried before an Islamic court in Afghanistan. – Quoted directly from the CNN piece “Taliban leader: Prepare for holy war”

It sounds to me that the Taliban is willing to collaborate with US efforts to catch the terrorists responsible for these atrocities IF the US can prove without a doubt that Osama bin Laden is the mastermind behind these attacks. Isn’t the US built on the democratic foundation that suspects of criminal activity are “innocent until proven guilty”. Oh wait I guess this doesn’t apply to acts of war… my bad. But then again our government and legal authorities commit their own terrorist activities and admit to their own racist double standards through foreign policies.

U.S. Counterterrorism Policy

First, make no concessions to terrorists and strike no deals;
Second, bring terrorists to justice for their crimes;
Third, isolate and apply pressure on states that sponsor terrorism to force them to change their behavior; and
Fourth, bolster the counterterrorism capabilities of those countries that work with the U.S. and require assistance.

Note that no where in this policy does it state that we should go to war over terrorist activity against the US, nor did we initiate a war like rally against terrorist activity when the U.S.S. Cole was attacked on October 12th, 2000 in the harbor at Aden, Yemen. Hmm…Yeah, and who was president back then? Of course I’ll be the first to admit that this is the first time since Pearl Harbor has anyone attacked us in our own backyard and granted some thing should and will be done. I think we should seriously contemplate the actions of WAR and if we truely think that this is the best reaction/resolution to this crime….

I love my home, I love my county, and I love my freedom. This is by far one of the best places to live and be free in the world today. I am, however, not an advocate for war nor am I an advocate that violence resolves violence. As an American I urge you all to get involved with your government and voice your opinions against the atrocities of this terrorist attack on America, and to voice your concern over the growing movement for America to go to war over these incidents. Write our President, George W. Bush, write your State Senators, write your local Congressional Representatives, and write your local government where ever you might live. Also please support the Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund and please donate some blood (Check for your local Bay Area Blood Bank).

I know that America can pull through this disaster as a stronger and morally superior nation, however, we should all educate ourselves about the motives of our enemies actions as well as our own national policies, make rational decisions only after knowing all the facts and attempt to know completely what the consequences of these actions will be, before any decisions are made. If you have comments, complements or flames please let me know. Thank you.

“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”
— George Washington, in a speech of January 7, 1790

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
— John F. Kennedy

“Listen, this is a great nation; we’re a kind people. None of us could have envisioned the barbaric acts of these terrorists. But they have stirred up the might of the American people, and we’re going to get them, no matter what it takes.”
— President George W. Bush – remarks made on September 15, 2001 when questioned about retaliation against the terrorists attacks on America Sept. 11th.

* Do you hear any hypocrisy in this statement from our Nation’s spokes man? “Kindly” express your own thoughts on this. *