There is so much to say this week and so little space so I shall try to consolidate, which is clearly not my best quality.
I have touched on some of this recently and I do apologize for being somewhat of a broken CD. (I would say “record” but I don't think anyone knows what that is. I'm not even sure if CDs are popular, since we can all download music onto devices. I cannot believe I managed to digress in the second paragraph—now that is a RECORD. Get it?)
I'm simply going to launch. There is no easy way to say this but I shall try. We are being brainwashed by the media here in the US of A. Now, before you tell me to reach for my tinfoil hat, allow me to elaborate.
You see, my darling readers, in 1983 90% of the media was owned by 50 companies. As of 2011, that same 90% was turned over to 6 corporations. You read that right, SIX huge (Uge) corps are in charge of spoon feeding us.
These would be the same corporations that donate to political parties. If nothing else, please keep that in mind throughout this piece.
So, we have the national media being controlled by the same “people,” (since as of 2010 corporations are considered to be human beings. See SCOTUS ruling Citizens United v. FEC), that also pour money into elections via ADVERTISING on said media. Something smells fishy and Perpetual (fiance) hasn't been out on the ice as of late.
That is why talking heads do not tell us the entire story or any of the story, more oft' than not. You see, we cannot disrupt that bottom line. We cannot upset the bloated big wigs as they will pull advertising. (We don't have that problem here at the Community News as we cannot get a corporate ad to save our lives. More about that in an upcoming piece or maybe later in this one. They don't care about supporting local communities PERIOD, as that might have an impact on that precious profit margin. Oh the humanity.)
One example of media malpractice is the (non) coverage of the Trans Pacific Partnership, (TPP). This is yet another trade deal that will cripple the American worker, like all trade deals have. How many times have you heard about TPP on any kind of regular televised news?
A gentleman by the name of Ed Schultz actually lost his job at the supposed “liberal” MSNBC because he was the ONLY one actually imparting TPP information to the public. Why would a “news” agency want to hide it from the citizenry, you ask? Well, it turns out that the TPP was pretty much penned by “the bigs” and they clearly have a vested interest in keeping it away from public view.
Because MSNBC is owned by one of those conglomerates, that our bought members of congress seem to adore, they hushed Mr. Schultz. Do you see anything wrong with this picture? (Just as a side note, Mr. Schultz still has a voice via his online news program and through RT America.)
This brings me to the primary season in which we find ourselves. Perpetual and I have taken in every single debate and town hall meeting on both sides of the political aisle. We have both noticed a theme running through in terms of moderators and I'm here to tell you about it. (Perpetual is way too shy to hit the paper with his views and he cannot type.)
Since the Republicans debated most recently, I shall stick with them at this time.
The mods cannot really take candidates to task or tell it like it is because they would LOSE advertising dollars and upset the establishment. Not to mention, but I will, exposure means everything to the corporate media. That is why someone like Donald Trump is still considered to be a “legit” candidate.
Trump can bloviate all he wants about building walls and exporting people and the ratings soar. We do not want to offend The Donald as we want access to him. He might advertise on our network. Get it? Honestly, this isn't strictly limited to The Donald as it runs across the spectrum.
My dear friend Judy, of Maine fame, and I think that we should actually moderate the next debate. For now, let us have some fun and imagine if the Community News were to be in charge of said debate. It might go something like the following.
Lisa: “Mr Trump, since the real numbers show that illegal immigration is actually at net zero, how does that line up with your wanting to build a wall across the border? And, as a follow up, my dear sweet Donald, can you tell us exactly how Mexico would be forced to pay for said wall since that is actually an illegal proposal?”
Mr. Trump doesn't answer directly but instead claims that Lisa is an idiot, a loser, too chubby to be a debate moderator and is basically lying about the numbers. (See Pew Research Center online for the real numbers.)
Lisa: “Governor Christie, since 12 different states have investigated Planned Parenthood and found that they had done nothing illegal, how does that square with your plan to de-fund them once elected?”
Governor Christie: “That is a lie! They are butchering babies and selling the parts! I saw it on Fox News!”
Lisa: “To elaborate on that question, I'd like to ask the entire group to expound on the Hyde Amendment, which says that taxpayer dollars CANNOT be spent on abortions.”
Group of Republicans: “Who are you and how did you manage to become selected for this debate? You are nothing but a *&^%#$ idiot who LIES and distorts facts.”
Lisa: “Senator Rubio, do you realize that President Obama is not running for reelection? Since this is the case, could you please answer the question, ANY question, without mentioning his name?”
Rubio: “Let's dispel with this fiction that Barack Obama does not know what he's doing. He knows exactly what he is doing.”
Lisa: “Sticking with Senator Rubio, our defense budget is larger than 14 other nations' combined military budgets. Many of these nations are allies of the USA. With that being said, can you elaborate as to what you mean when you say we need to 'rebuild' the military?”
Rubio: “Let's dispel with this fiction that Barack Obama does not know what he's doing. He knows exactly what he is doing.”
Lisa: “I've researched the matter and discovered that many of you have taken huge donations from members of the fossil fuel industry. With that being said, how does that influence you in terms of climate change denial?”
Candidates: (Can't hear much over the sound of collective rage, swearing, denial of the facts, etc., wash, rinse and repeat.)
OK, I'm back—I mean I'm done moderating the debate for now. Can you imagine if we actually had an honest media?
I have a former bro-in-law who lives in Canada and we correspond almost daily via instant messages. He has pointed out to me repeatedly how much we are simply NOT getting any kind of comprehensive coverage down here in the “lower 48.”
What do we do about this? Well, I can recommend a few things, as I've done in the past. One would be to try an INDEPENDENT online news outlet that is NOT funded by corporate dollars. “The Young Turks” comes to mind as it is the largest news and commentary network in the US of A. (Funded by viewers and non corporate advertisers.)
The Real News Network is also good and boasts that it is non governmental and non corporate. Free Speech TV is yet another. Another idea is to take in news from other countries. I oft' take a gander at BBC America, for one example. There are many but I shall leave it up to you to investigate further.
In closing, I must say that this is why when a Bernie Sanders comes along and captures the interest of our youth, the beltway bubble talking heads explode. They simply wonder what on earth is unfolding. How can this be? We didn't see this coming at all. You mean a candidate who is NOT funded by the “bigs” is being taken seriously? We must stop him as he will absolutely have a direct effect on our precious bottom line.
A main reason behind the overwhelming youth enthusiasm for this particular person could be because very few garner news via television. Instead they are able to research the issues and perhaps unpack, in detail, the real stories behind the candidates.
Just to reiterate ONE more time; there is NO liberal media!! It is CORPORATE MEDIA. If people do not wake up to this travesty we will indeed head to Hades in a basket of the woven nature.
THE END.
P.S. On a cheerful and delightful note, I would like to thank Alice and Lillian of Houston fame and one D.O. from Pittsburgh for taking time to actually send me a “fan” note through that socialist agency known as the USPS. I love you for doing that and it means the world to me.
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