The previous article made reference to how the Bush Administration uses imagery of 9/11, terrorism and "imminent threats" to instill fear in voters, hoping that they will re-elect Bush out of a subconscious desire for personal safety and security.
This morning I found this article at CNN.com. It’s about a sociologist who ran some experiments about this ‘fear factor’ and how it affects a person’s view of Bush and his policies. Interesting.
I love that phrase. Not only does it describe the Bush/Blaire contention that Iraq had WMD’s as grounds for invasion when, in fact, there never were, it even better describes Bush’s current political campaign. The Bush Administration is bent on keeping Americans in fear of terrorism, while at the same time arguing Americans are safer now than they were three years ago.
I can’t say it nearly as well as does the following article from the Herald Tribune, which is really just a review of the new movie, "The Manchurian Candidate".
Sit back and read Frank Rich’s Pop culture takes on the fear game.
I have nothing to say. The world is insane. Hence, the topic of this post makes as much sense as the rest of the world right now.
A friend said I should make this "Oh, for cryin’ out loud" a regular column. I think, instead, I’ll reserve it for the really good stuff… the stuff that reminds me how absurd this world really is.
As I understand it, Yasser Arafat, President of the Palestinian Authority, decided last week that he needed to make some changes. On Saturday, he fired Abdel Razik al-Majeida and named his cousin, Mussa Arafat, as the head of national security and vowed to reduce the 12 Palestinian security organizations down to just 3.
About then, all hell broke loose.
Continue reading ‘Oh, for cryin’ out loud!’
So it’s Wednesday. I woke up this morning with the theme from ‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force’ running through my head. Unfortunately, I never could understand the lyrics. There’s only one thing worse than waking up with a TV theme song stuck in your head, and that’s waking up with a TV theme song with unintelligible lyrics stuck in your head. So, rather than shower singing "Shake-zula… hmmm-mmulah" and go to work with mumbling drivel on my mind, I looked up the lyrics. Hence, the previous post.
Hmmm… Wednesday… no one was beheaded today, nor did anything else worth ranting about happen. So, perhaps it’s time we catch up on my favorite subject…
Continue reading ‘Slow news day’
My name is…
Shake-zula, da mic rulah, da old skoolah, you want a trip, I’ll bring it to ya…
Continue reading ‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force’
I don’t know how this slipped under the radar, but holy cow!
The rant: Looks like the Bush Administration is not only playing politician, but playing scientist too. Of the MANY cited cases of policy over-riding scientific fact, I’ve chosen a single one. In this case, the emergency contraceptive "Plan B".
Continue reading ‘Introducing… Dr. Dubya’
First, I had to dig into CNN.com, going to their "International" edition, then clicking "World" before I even saw this article about 4 killed in Gaza blast.
Not paying it much attention, I continued my morning research at Al-Jazeera.net. On the front page was a link to an article dealing with the same 4 killed in Gaza blast.
What’s interesting about the differences in the articles is that not only does one have to dig to find it on CNN.com, but according to CNN, "The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear." On the Al-Jazeera version, however, eye-witnesses confirm that these 4 men were killed when the car 3 of them were driving in "took a direct hit from Israeli tank fire…" The blast also killed a passing-by motorcyclist.
I’m sure Al-Jazeera is biased too and that the truth of what happened lies somewhere in the middle. But it definitely goes to show you that not only are politicians fearful of being labeled "anti-Israel", so is CNN.com, and the news from CNN will always have that slant.
CNN viewers beware.
I was reading a couple of articles this morning on the Jerusalem Post. One was about defining the “Jewish People” as an ethnicity vs. a religious group. The second article was about curbing anti-Semitic remarks in the media and in comments made by leaders of Arab countries.
I argue there is a third distinct group that many unconsciously think of when they hear or speak the term “Jew”.
Continue reading ‘Anti-Semitism and Racism in the Middle East and at Home’
I just read this story on CNN.com about the captured Marine Cpl. Wassef Hassoun and his safe return to Lebanon. Of course, like everyone else, I’m relieved for him and his family to know that he’s alive and safe.
First, it shows us that the Iraqi insurgents are not simply out to murder Americans. They have a cause they believe in and deserve to be heard. They’re not savage beasts out to destroy us. Unlike Christianity, Islam is not a "Sunday-only religion". Islam is a way of life. Islam is about peace and pride and standing up for what you believe in, even in the face of death.
Which leads me to wonder why this highly-trained, disciplined U.S. Marine, in whom we trust the safety and security of our nation, so easily "defected" from the U.S. military.
Continue reading ‘Not quite what we expect (or pay for)’
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