If memory serves me correctly...
Mar. 21st, 2003 08:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ebonlockThis damn near broke me this morning:
The Iron Chef : Lembas Battle
And many thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
windrose for the Total Information Awareness project, a pair of those thongs are looking mighty good to me right now *G* Remember, be a good American, Big Brother is watching you!
Bad news from my sisters, their flight got delayed so they won't be getting in until after 8 pm tonight. Plans may have to be shuffled a bit regarding dinner, so if you were planning to go to Garden Fresh this evening I'm going to try to get in touch with you this afternoon to discuss options. *sigh* Airlines.
Also, this is the last day I will be posting or checking emails until next Wednesday. If you need to get in touch with me, either email today or call me, ok?
I've spent the last couple of evenings at home watching coverage of Operation Iraqi Freedom and wondering what the hell has happened to the once fine art of journalism. Swear to god, at least a half an hour was spent showing a pixelated, blurry image of troops zooming over the desert with nothing but sand and sky in sight. Nothing. Nada. Zip. The journalist (and I use the term loosely) responsible for this riveting coverage actually got excited when they spotted some goat herders amidst the big, blank, stretch of nothing. Wee! Goats, wow, thanks CNN!
So basically right now we've got our choice of network or cable coverage from reporters "embedded" in different military units and carefully watched over by the Pentagon. Does this make me at all comfortable with taking for granted that what we're hearing from said reporters is going to be at all unbiased, hard hitting, honest journalism? Uh, no.
In an effort to balance this coverage out, I've been listening to KPFA radio which swings about as far Left as humanly possible. I figure between the two sources and what I can dig up on the internet I might just have a shot at figuring out for myself what the hell is going on in the world these days.
I continue to be strongly impressed by Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), whose speech, Today, I Weep for My Country..., really resonated.
Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination. Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves. We proclaim a new doctrine of preemption which is understood by few and feared by many. We say that the United States has the right to turn its firepower on any corner of the globe which might be suspect in the war on terrorism. We assert that right without the sanction of any international body. As a result, the world has become a much more dangerous place.
We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. We treat UN Security Council members like ingrates who offend our princely dignity by lifting their heads from the carpet. Valuable alliances are split.
"...we demand obedience or threaten recrimination..." Not just abroad, mind you, but with our own citizens as well. Either you're for us or against us. I admit it's a pretty simple, black and white concept, easily grasped by the masses and perpetuated. I'd also say it's pretty simplistic, turning discourse and disagreement into dangerous and subversive actions.
But we Americans are a contentious lot, we like to disagree, we like to argue, we like to take a stand on issues. We're not always the best informed people in the world, but we are curious and opinionated, and we'll ask questions...or at least we'll let our favorite journalists do that for us.
I think many of us want to know what's going on, and more importantly, have a say in the direction our country's policies take. That's not always feasible, of course, but we are a Democracy and there are means of expressing our support or discontent, for getting our voices heard.
Dissent, however, is becoming a kind of scary thing right now. If you support the war, you probably haven't noticed it...or perhaps you feel the opposition should be silent. But to disagree strongly with our government just now is becoming an increasingly risky proposition, whether you're a public representative or a private citizen.
On the other hand, not speaking up carries even higher, if more insidious dangers.
Ultimately I guess it becomes a question of "how much are your values worth to you"? What precisely are you willing to risk to voice your beliefs? And what will be the lasting damage to your conscience if you don't?
Now if only a few more members of the Democratic party would ask themselves these questions...
The Iron Chef : Lembas Battle
And many thanks to
windrose for the Total Information Awareness project, a pair of those thongs are looking mighty good to me right now *G* Remember, be a good American, Big Brother is watching you!Bad news from my sisters, their flight got delayed so they won't be getting in until after 8 pm tonight. Plans may have to be shuffled a bit regarding dinner, so if you were planning to go to Garden Fresh this evening I'm going to try to get in touch with you this afternoon to discuss options. *sigh* Airlines.
Also, this is the last day I will be posting or checking emails until next Wednesday. If you need to get in touch with me, either email today or call me, ok?
I've spent the last couple of evenings at home watching coverage of Operation Iraqi Freedom and wondering what the hell has happened to the once fine art of journalism. Swear to god, at least a half an hour was spent showing a pixelated, blurry image of troops zooming over the desert with nothing but sand and sky in sight. Nothing. Nada. Zip. The journalist (and I use the term loosely) responsible for this riveting coverage actually got excited when they spotted some goat herders amidst the big, blank, stretch of nothing. Wee! Goats, wow, thanks CNN!
So basically right now we've got our choice of network or cable coverage from reporters "embedded" in different military units and carefully watched over by the Pentagon. Does this make me at all comfortable with taking for granted that what we're hearing from said reporters is going to be at all unbiased, hard hitting, honest journalism? Uh, no.
In an effort to balance this coverage out, I've been listening to KPFA radio which swings about as far Left as humanly possible. I figure between the two sources and what I can dig up on the internet I might just have a shot at figuring out for myself what the hell is going on in the world these days.
I continue to be strongly impressed by Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), whose speech, Today, I Weep for My Country..., really resonated.
Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination. Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves. We proclaim a new doctrine of preemption which is understood by few and feared by many. We say that the United States has the right to turn its firepower on any corner of the globe which might be suspect in the war on terrorism. We assert that right without the sanction of any international body. As a result, the world has become a much more dangerous place.
We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. We treat UN Security Council members like ingrates who offend our princely dignity by lifting their heads from the carpet. Valuable alliances are split.
"...we demand obedience or threaten recrimination..." Not just abroad, mind you, but with our own citizens as well. Either you're for us or against us. I admit it's a pretty simple, black and white concept, easily grasped by the masses and perpetuated. I'd also say it's pretty simplistic, turning discourse and disagreement into dangerous and subversive actions.
But we Americans are a contentious lot, we like to disagree, we like to argue, we like to take a stand on issues. We're not always the best informed people in the world, but we are curious and opinionated, and we'll ask questions...or at least we'll let our favorite journalists do that for us.
I think many of us want to know what's going on, and more importantly, have a say in the direction our country's policies take. That's not always feasible, of course, but we are a Democracy and there are means of expressing our support or discontent, for getting our voices heard.
Dissent, however, is becoming a kind of scary thing right now. If you support the war, you probably haven't noticed it...or perhaps you feel the opposition should be silent. But to disagree strongly with our government just now is becoming an increasingly risky proposition, whether you're a public representative or a private citizen.
On the other hand, not speaking up carries even higher, if more insidious dangers.
Ultimately I guess it becomes a question of "how much are your values worth to you"? What precisely are you willing to risk to voice your beliefs? And what will be the lasting damage to your conscience if you don't?
Now if only a few more members of the Democratic party would ask themselves these questions...
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Re:
Date: 2003-03-21 10:33 am (UTC)That's like a conservative seeking a balanced media diet by watching Fox News and listening to KSFO.
Uh, CNN is one of the stations I'm watching, along with local news broadcasts, FOX (on occasion), MSNBC, etc., etc. I tune in for Hardball when I can, and occasionally The O'Reilly Factor when I need a giggle. I mentioned CNN in particular regarding its fascinating goat expose last evening.
Speaking of the O'Reilly Factor I'm *so* tempted right now to write him. I was flipping through his "No Spin Zone" the other day and read the piece on Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson and their boycotting campaigns on American businesses. He said, and I quote, "I think boycotting is un-American", and yet on the front page of Mr. O'Reilly's page is "Boycott France!"
I just had to laugh.