The House is voting on, and will likely pass, H. Res 895 (PDF), a bill designed to condemn the New York Times for publishing a story that disclosed government spying on private banking transactions. The program is just another effort on the part of the Bush administration to further erode civil liberties in pursuit of [...]
Monthly Archives: June 2006
Jun 28
Prosecute The Messenger, Part III
In the wake of the New York Times story on the government prying into banking transactions, an army on the right has formed to denounce, not just the story, but the Times for revealing what they consider to be a program vital to the safety of Americans. Politicians and pundits on the right are crawling [...]
Jun 28
The MySpace World Domination Conspiracy
OK, here it is. This blows the lid off of the totalitarian overlords once and for all. The mother of all conspiracies and MySpace is at the center of it. Go back with me to February 2002, when the existence of the Total Information Awareness (TIA) Office at DARPA was disclosed by the New York [...]
Jun 26
Vets For Freedom: Fronts For GOP
Vets For Freedom (VFF) claims to be “a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the unbiased, nonpartisan truth of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.” They are marketing their services to media firms for whom they offer to provide reports from Iraq as embedded correspondents. The only problem is that they are actually a [...]
Jun 25
Stalking Points Memo – Warmongers At Home
Warmongers At Home Gather round as Bill explains the geo-political complexities of the conflict in the Middle-East. By the time this lesson is over, you too will be an expert at building strawmen and posing questions that are deftly left unanswered. (Click the pic here to go to Stalking Points Memo page, then click the [...]
Jun 23
Washington Post: Jon Stewart, Enemy Of Democracy?
With that headline, the Washington Post commences a serious mischaracterization of a study centered on Daily Show viewers. The study’s authors, Jody Baumgartner and Jonathan Morris of East Carolina University, sought to define “The Daily Show Effect” on its audience. The WP says: “Two political scientists found that young people who watch Stewart’s faux news [...]
Jun 23
SWIFT Invasions Of Privacy
The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) is opening the vault to reveal your banking transactions to the federal government. This is being done with what they call an “administrative” subpoena that is not approved by any judicial agency. Once again, this administration has found a way to peek into private matters of law-abiding [...]
Jun 23
Guantanamo Press Ban Update
Since the Pentagon booted reporters out of Guantanamo last week, they have apparently relented and invited a reporter back in. By happenstance, it is a reporter from Fox News. ThinkProgress has the story about how Andrew Napolitano was singled out for a guest pass to the Cuban detainee facility. But since the original story claimed [...]
Jun 22
Stop Big Media – The Battle Begins
Via Free Press: The FCC is preparing to hold new hearings on media ownership. The last time they did this, they succeeded in passing a rule that drew widespread opposition from the public and Congress. It was ultimately thrown out by a Federal Court for not having justified its conclusions. They’re at it again, but [...]
Jun 21
The All American Conservatism Rejects
With the publication of American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia, we now have a pretty good idea on whom to blame the nation’s problems. The 997 page book casts itself as: “…the first comprehensive reference volume to cover what is surely the most influential political and intellectual movement of the last half century. More than fifteen years [...]
Jun 21
Drum Major Institute Drums Up Some Creative Media
The Drum Major Institute, a non-partisan, progressive think tank, has launched a Google AdWords campaign that takes advantage of the search engine’s ad results to educate voters. Here’s how it works: Do a search for your congressman and check the list of “Sponsored Links” to the right. You’ll find your congressman with a letter grade [...]
Jun 19
Corporate Handicappers Betting On Democrats
After a decade of Republicans soaking up corporate largesse in the form of donations, vacations and other assorted perks and bribes, Democrats are starting to catch the eye of these deep-pocketed givers. The Wall Street Journal’s story notes that traditional Republican backers like the insurance, pharmaceuticals and tobacco industries, are flipping their allegiances in order [...]
Jun 17
Newspapers More Like Craigslist
The Wall Street Journal recently interviewed Jim Buckmaster, CEO of Craigslist. Not surprisingly, the Journal’s Brian Carney projected a befuddled confusion as to why this electronic phenomemon doesn’t properly exploit it’s revenue potential. Wall Street’s mouthpiece can’t understand why a profitable organization that more than satisfies its customers doesn’t wring out every spare nickel it [...]
Jun 16
The Nation’s Corporate Media & Consolidation
The Nation magazine has updated its chart of who owns what in the media. Along with the chart, they invited some influential writers to comment on the state of entertainment and media. Here are some highlights: Mark Crispin Miller – The Death of News In short, our very lives and liberty are at unprecedented risk [...]
Jun 16
Bargain Bin: FCC Indecency Alternatives
Lawbreakers who are considering cussing or flashing a breast on TV may not be getting the most value for their money. The FCC’s recently escalated fines for these heinous crimes is $325,000 per incident. Lost Remote has done the public service of identifying some relative bargains for the thrifty ne’er-do-well. Killing someone by accident: $250,000. [...]
Jun 15
Rumsfeld Muzzles Media In Guantanamo
The office of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told reporters covering Guantanamo to take a hike. The reporters from the Los Angeles Times and the Miami Herald were given orders to be prepared to leave by 8:00 am Wednesday morning. Another reporter from the Charlotte Observer was given until Saturday with the stipulation that he [...]
Jun 13
The Media Celebrates Karl Rove’s Non-Indictment
It’s interesting to observe what American media considers to be good news these days. This morning a statement was released by Karl Rove’s attorney stating that Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald does not expect to seek charges against Rove. Much of the media’s characterization of this announcement plays as if Rove had received an award. The [...]
Jun 12
Paramedia – Expanding Reach In The Blogiverse
I started News Corpse as a direct result of my experience at dailyKos. I didn’t set out to seek attention or to promulgate my views. I was just drawn to the idea of being able to express myself. It was more cathartic than anything else. But absent the stir of inspiration, I might never have [...]
Jun 09
Stalking Points Memo – Marry Amending
Marry Amending In Bill’s world, freedom is a core American value that can only be exercised by majority rule. In his folksy idiom, the folks have the right to decide for themselves which folks have the right to decide for themselves. (Click the pic here to go to Stalking Points Memo page, then click the [...]
Jun 08
Fox News’ Non-Stop Zarqawi Party
The news of the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is deservedly blanketing the airwaves. He was a significant figure in Iraq and was responsible for untold devastation. He was certainly a major target of the U.S. military, who can view his demise as a success. But Fox News may be carrying the celebration into a [...]
