Today's Unknown News
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Today's Unknown News
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Cheryl's Daily Diatribes by Cheryl Seal March 2002 |
Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com.
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Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Saturday, March 2, 2002 LOADED HEADLINES Note: A few readers had trouble listening to the techno protest song "Humans" because the buffering (I think that's the term) kept cutting the song off. You might find it easier to go up to Mp3.com, then put in the artist's name in the search box: Llamachine. The song is the last one in his current list. I find it works better on "Lo-fi." Yesterday, I told you how I happened to be in possession of Ted Rowse's notes on a book about how news is manipulated. I thought it would be a great lesson in spotting plants and in Cold War political history to share some of these notes with you. (As they had been chucked roadside and are more than 28 years old, we can assume they are in the public domain! In any case, suing us would be like trying to extract blood from a turnip). Here, Rowse gives several examples of how "loaded words" can be used to subtly and not-so-subtly slant news and formulate the readers' opinion for them. The examples are almost all from the late 1950s. ADMIT — Alternative for "say" when the writer wants to make the speaker appear guilty of something worse than the true situation warrants — implies criminal admission. "STEVENSON ADMITS TAKING PRIVATE AID FOR STATE OFFICIALS" — Chicago Tribune. Several meanings could be read into the headline, most of them worse than the actual situation may have been. BALLYHOO — derisive term when applied to a political campaign when not attribute to some source. EISENHOWER VISIT HERE TO STIR UP DAY OF BALLYHOO — St. Louis Post Dispatch BOOMERANG — when used to describe political charges, it is an opinion word which may or may not be true. BOOMERANG PUTS SENATOR NIXON FOES IN AWKWARD SPOT — Boston Advertiser CLEARED — Word implying being found not guilty in court, a situation quite apart from Nixon's situation. NIXON CLEARED: HE AND IKE WALK TO 'WARS' AGAIN — Minneapolis Star EXPLAIN — Word sometimes implies full explanation to the satisfaction of everyone, an interpretation which favors the person doing the explained. EXPENSE FUND FOR NIXON EXPLAINED BY FRIENDS — Los Angeles Times ISOLATIONIST — Word with almost exactly opposite meanings. Some so-called isolationists seem to be the country's foremost advocates of aggression in the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean. The word demands a further explanation. STEVENSON ASSERTS HIS RIVAL IS PRISONER OF ISOLATIONISTS — New York Times LEFTIST — Broad term which swings a wide arc and means many things to many people. KEFAUVER IN BID FOR LEFTIST AID — Boston Post SMEAR — Aggressive word to hit back at a charge, implying that the charge is false, even though it may be true. NIXON SMEAR TRY BLASTED IN KANSAS CITY — Detroit Free Press. SCANDAL — Powerful opinionate word likely to mean a variety of things — used as a factual word for a matter which may be up for political debate. EISENHOWER ASSERTS SCANDALS IN U.S. AID REDS' COLD WAR — New York Times. In this Section, Rowse identifies several different manipulated headline types. LOADED HEADLINE DEVICES Nameless Head — Source of statement or charge not revealed in head intentionally because it would make the story less newsworthy: TRUMAN CALLED ON TO MEET RED ISSUE SQUARELY (Boston Post head on a statement by Senator McCarrah, a perennial Truman enemy Parrot Head — Where newspaper appears to repeat someone else's opinion as its own: BYRNES OUT FOR IKE FOR COUNTRY'S GOOD — New York News BYRNES BACKS EISENHOWER, PUTS U.S. ABOVE PARTY — Philadelphia Inquirer Two-faced Head Words with double meanings BOYS AND GIRLS SAME ALL OVER, RED DAILY FINDS — Boston Globe ALLEGHENY WATER NEEDS TO BE AIRED — E&P FARM DOG SAVES MASTER FROM ATTACKING HOG — E&P Quiz Show Head — question not necessarily at issue but thrown in to remind readers of possible link with unfavorable: WILL TRUMAN PARDON HISS? — NY J. A. Missing Head: — Headline and story which should be, but is not, on page one in order to play down news paper doesn't like. Manufactured Head — Creation of headline writer, not an accurate reflection of the story SENATOR MORSE SUPPORTS PROBES BY MCCARTHY — Boston Post PRESS STUDY POSSIBLE — Times ?Disguised Head — Interpretive or background articles with news-type headlines: TRUMAN RALLIES VOTES OF LABOR BY FEAR TACTICS — Advertiser EISENHOWER, NIXON PROVE REAL CHAMPS — Herald NIXON WELFARE STATE — New York Post REPUBLICANS BELIEVE TICKET STRONGER THAN EVER NOW — Philadelphia Bulletin Broken Head — Meaning broken up by too many punctuations such as this story announcing engagement: JULIUS: WED NOW! RORY: DO IT RIGHT! SO THEY WAIT — Globe Swollen Head — Headline too big for story, such as this two-lie, 8-column head in Boston Post: KREMLIN NEWSPAPERS IN HUB LIBRARY READING ROOM This situation was old stuff in many libraries and never considered much of a menace. Headless Head — Missing subject may give headline double meaning: CLIMB ON ADLAI BANDWAGON — Globe FINE GI'S WIFE FOR SALE IN BLACK MARKET — New York Post Hopeful Head — Prediction that may or may not come true: CONSUMER PRICES TO REMAIN STEADY — NY Times Dead Head — statement of little or no meaning: IN CRITICAL CONDITION — NY Times — or a statement weaker than the story itself: STEVENSON POISED FOR TOUR OF EAST — NY Times FIRM ON RIGHTS — Kansas City Star PRESIDENT SET FOR WIND-UP — Times Dizzy Head — One with mixed reference that can be misinterpreted: WIFE STABS MATE WITH ANOTHER WOMAN — E&P BOY HURT DIVING IN FAIR CONDITION — E&P PRESIDENT SET FOR WIND-UP — NY Times Egg Head — big words that may not be understood by average reader: IKE CASTIGATES U.S. FARM POLICY Cute Head END JUSTIFIES JEANS IN GINA LOLLOBRIGIDA CASE — E&P Pointed Head — Opinionated head: TRUMAN CALLED ON TO MEET RED ISSUE SQUARELY — Boston Post (The head implies that he has not met issue squarely, but that is a matter of opinion) CORRUPTION IN STATE NOTHING NEW TO ADELAI — Des Moines Register Opinion Head — Use of descriptive or opinion words as fact: NIXON SMEAR TRY BLASTED — Detroit Free Press BUNGLED BILLIONS: U.S. AID POLICY FALLS SHORT — Philadelphia Inquirer Wooden Head — neutral words that fail to describe adequately controversial story: EISENHOWER DISCUSSES TREATY CURB — NY Herald Tribune Hawker Head — trying to sell something by strategic placement, such as the sample telegram printed on page one praising Nixon for readers to clip and send — NY Journal American To keep the spirit of "Reader be Damned" alive, I thought it would be helpful to start our own news watchdog section, where we highlight (and thereby expose) examples of stories and headlines that have been engineered with an ulterior motive. Here is our first collection: THREE LOUIMA CONVICTIONS THROWN OUT — AOL headlines, 2/28 evening This headline implies clearly, posted next to three head shots, that the three officers were found innocent of assaulting or aiding in the assault of Louima. The real story: Convictions for obstructing justice were overturned for the three defendants and their cases redirected to a lower court for possible retrial. The conviction against the primary perp — and his 30-year conviction - still stands. The motive: To perpetuate the Bushian myth that post-9/11 New York Police can do no wrong — even wrongs committed before 9/11!! JET WITH 'SUSPICIOUS' PASSENGER LANDS IN N.Y. — AOL, evening 2/28 Now here is an example of "much ado about nothing," in that until a crime has been committed, or SOME sort of incident has occurred (even something as inane as having a swarthy person locking himself in the men's room), this does not constitute real news, let alone a page one headline! (Page 26 on a slow day, maybe) The real story: The was none. The motive: Keep "terror in the skies" going and, this story ran within an inch (on AOL's "front page" headlines in the early evening of 2/28) of this story: 'Tribute of Light' Memorial Set for WTC Victims" AUTHORITIES PROBE MONTANA MILITIA'S ASSASSINATION PLOT — New York Times, 2/28 (web version) This headline is supposed to make the reader think that there may or may not be something "rotten in the state of Montana." Too soon to tell. The real story: So we have a story on AOL's page one about "Suspicious person" who did nothing, had no weapon. But nowhere in the headlines of AOL did we find a story about the uncovering of an elaborate, large-scale plot by a WHITE AMERICAN militia in Montana to slaughter National Guard troops, then pick off Judges, police and other authority figures in as large numbers as possible. Where do we find this story — which should be on page one with bold heads? Buried as a secondary story in the NYTimes' National News section, AFTER the story about the Yeats trial ... and given a misleadingly innocuous headline. The Motive: White American rightwingnuts could never be guilty of anything really bad! Yet we have listened to ENDLESS coverage and screaming headlines focused on the discovery of a few stray pamphlets in some swarthy person's apartment! ABSTINENCE-ONLY INITIATIVE ADVANCING — New York Times (web), 2/28 We are supposed to believe here that Bush's abstinence-only model for sex education is making inroads and gaining momentum ("advancing" is a very strong, very positive — very loaded — word). The real story: Nowhere in the article will you find evidence that the abstinence only initiative is advancing. Only that it is being pushed at schools by the feds and that most educators doubt it will stem the spread of AIDS, other STDs or pregnancies. The Motive: To make it appear that at least ONE of Bush's bizarre schemes is finding favor. ENERGY PAPERS' RELEASE ORDERED — Washington Times (web), 2/28 So where is this headline placed? At about number 6 in a list of headlines at the Rev. Moon's rag, Washington Times. But the Times — or the AP, which supplied the body of the story — doesn't stop its manipulation of news with loaded headlines. It carries its manipulations right into the article: "A federal judge has ordered the Energy Department to release thousands of records on Vice President Richard B. Cheney's energy task force to a liberal environmental group, criticizing the government for moving at "a glacial pace." The NRDC does not describe itself as "liberal" or partisan in anyway. And, it is not a "group" (a word implying a small band of rabble rousers) — it is a nationwide, respected organization, like the Wilderness Society or Audubon. But you will never hear the Times referring even to blatantly partisan outfits in like manner - you won't hear them describing the Heritage Foundation, for example as "a conservative club." The real story: After months of stonewalling and wrangling with Congress, not to mention several lawsuits, Cheney is finally ordered to release thousands of pages of documents on his secret energy task force. The contents could be devastating to the administration. The motive: The Bush administration is scared shitless over the release of the energy info. So, they desperately want us all to believe that this release of the papers is no big whoop — and after all, it was only because of some leftwing band of environmental wackos. BUSH SETS UP SHADOW GOVERNMENT (Headline on main page of FOX news.com) Inside, this is the subhead: WASHINGTON — A "shadow government" Cold War plan in place since Dwight D. Eisenhower was president has been activated by the Bush administration. This is highly misleading. It wants the reader to believe that the shadow government is old hat — something that has been in place for over half a century and just activated this week. The real story: The shadow government was secretively created as a temporary entity during the hysteria of the Cold War. Bush, without notifying the public, Congress, or the Senate, took it upon himself to recreate (very different from "activate" — which implies something always available, like the National Guard!) this group of hand-picked "officials" right after Sept. 11, all at taxpayer expense (we are supporting dozens of people whose only job is to hang out in bunkers waiting for the Fuhrer's orders!) The Motive: To make an enormous overstep of authority seem somehow OK, or "normalized." Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Monday, February 4, 2002 Brown Journalism Invades Sunday Mornings Back in the old days, lurid, sensational news stories created for the sake of selling newspapers were collectively called "yellow journalism." I have decided that the kind of journalism being cranked out by the corporate media today deserves a special "color name" too. So, in honor of the Goebbels-esque model being following so devotedly by corporate journalists, I christen this type of writing "brown journalism" — as in "brown-shirts," the nickname by which the Nazis were colloquially known. Of course, the color brown also invokes another substance that bears a strong resemblance to this type of writing … That being decided, I am dismayed to report that brown journalism has invaded Sunday mornings — CBS Sunday Morning, to be exact. This used to be one of the only honest news digests out there — a breath of fresh air at the end of a long week of packaged media pap. There would be thought-provoking commentaries, slices of life, challenging interviews, and enriching review of books and movies. Since 9/11, and especially in the past month or two, this show has degenerated into yet another arm of the Bush public relations office. Here are two examples from this week's show: Nuclear Valentine to Bush — with Love from CBS First, a segment on Yucca Mountain was aired. Early on in the segment it is pointed out that a whopping 80% of all Nevadans are against using Yucca Mountain to bury the nuclear wastes from all nuke plants in the U.S. However, CBS offers us just two "example Nevadans": one pro and one con. In other words, the coverage is 50-50. This is a CLASSIC EXAMPLE of the insidious 50-50 technique that is now not only used by most journalists, but is being taught by most journalism programs. Of course, guess who funds the colleges who fund the journalism programs? Corporations in one form or the other. In the phony name of "balance," reporters are exhorted to equally represent "both sides of the story." As the Yucca Mountain story illustrations, 50-50 only VERY RARELY represents a true balance in a story. In the Yucca Mountain story, true balance would have been to have one pro-waste statement and five anti-waste statements. Instead, we get the formulaic "50-50." And even that is manipulated! For the pro-waster we have a respectable old guy on his All-American back porch looking like he could be Tom Brokaw's World War II hero Uncle or Grandpa. For the anti-waste, we have a tough-looking old broad who runs a bar. Can you POSSIBLY guess the not-so-subtle message we are getting here? Worse yet, the segment closes with a statement by the pro-waste guy — who is thus given the last word. In between these statements, does CBS go into the dangers of trains and trucks rolling across the U.S. landscape laden with spent fuel rods? About what a nuclear disaster would actually be like? What the current reports on the safety of transport are? Does it even present the extensive findings of several geologists who are arguing AGAINST Yucca Mountain? Harhar. We are treated to one government scientist assuring us how after two years of study they are sure the mountain's tunnels are good to go for the next 100,000. This doomsday repository has been given less real scrutiny than your average weight loss drug is given by the FDA. So, this story was, as Alan Sorkin so succinctly puts it: a valentine to the Bush administration. The 'Left-wing Wacko Evil Jihad' — Should we Repeat that a Few Times? The next CBS-Bush PR effort was a definitely brown-hued story on the Symbionese Liberation Army. I laughed out loud at the lead in when the commentator gravely said he imagined the public was wondering why they had been hearing so much about the 27-year-old case — as he proceeded to then launch into yet another story on the case! I think the network people think that the public is so stupid and fatuous that we all believe that news stories are shuffled down from heaven in burning bushes and that the talking heads, like Moses, have no choice but to present them! They covered the history of the SLA, but made sure to work in the words "evil" and "Jihad." Patty Hearst, who is probably working overtime to protect her own butt from the rightwingnut witch hunters, described the SLA as having their "own little Jihad" going, To make sure the "SLA-leftwing-Jihad-evil" combo did not escape the public's notice, the commentator used yet another brown journalism technique, which I will call "damning with faint protest." The guy points out that since 9/11 the use of words like Jihad and evil can hit nerves, and that combining those with the SLA is probably pretty provocative. In other words, while appearing to "protest" the coupling of such terms, he is actually making sure the coupling has not escaped the viewer's notice. Just like the Yucca Mountain story, none of the really important questions are asked, like WHY, after 27 years, did the prosecutors manage to flog the case back to full-blown prominence? Or HOW did new forensic evidence happen to pop up — who obtained it? How? And why now? As a directly related point, I will add that NOWHERE in the news reports I have monitored this weekend have I seen any coverage of the just-revealed plot by a rightwingnut militia to launch an attack on U.S. government officials and the national guard. As a citizen, I myself am just a BIT more worried about CURRENT plots to commit mayhem and heavily armed angry radicals than I am by crimes committed 27 years ago and ex-criminals who now bake brownies for school fairs. The only difference: the SLA were the ONLY truly violent well-organized leftwing rebels the country has every produced. The Montana militia represents one of dozens of well-organized violent RIGHTWING rebel groups. So what the government is trying to pull through the media is a truly sicko version of the 50-50 scam. Through amount of COVERAGE, not degree of danger posed, we are supposed to see the defunct SLA as EQUAL to all the current rightwingnut terrorists bombing abortion clinics, threatening to pick off judges and Congressmen, and (quite possibly) mailing anthrax-laced letters to Democrats. I think that the FBI and CIA have discovered several plots in long-term ongoing investigations that involve white rightwingnuts and the disproportionately huge coverage of the SLA is an effort to diffuse public attention away from these cases, or at least to blunt their impact when they finally sprung on the public full-force. As a matter of fact, there is evidence that the FBI now KNOWS who perpetrated the anthrax attacks and is sitting on the info. Why? You can be sure that if it were a swarthy person or a leftwinger, the news would have been plastered across the media from here to Madagascar! So, I take the SLA coverage as strong evidence that rightwing scum is rising to the top of the pot and someone wants to keep the lid on that news. NAACP IMAGE AWARDS: Profile in Courage: Boondocks Creator Aaron McGruder Speaks Out Loud, Black and Beautiful while White wannabe Condy Rice Hides behind Red, White and Blue When I watched the NAACP Image Award show Friday night, I was treated to two extremes: I'll give the low point first (though it actually occurred second, after the high point) Condoleeza Rice was given the "President's Award" — the president supposedly being Keweisi Mfume, but it might as well have been G. W. Bush. How DARE Keweisi Mfume give Rice that award? Not only did this reinforce the message that black success is commensurate with how "white" one can become, it permitted yet another television event to become a George Bush flag-waving patriotic fest. After Mfume invoked 9/11 and Rice's role in the center of the aftermath (in other words, as one of the chief architects of an immoral bloodbath in the name of oil), opera singer Denise Williams sang a patriotic number accompanied by a white guitarist. The lyrics were supposed to be tribute to Rice, but clearly gave the message that real success as a human being is all about "serving America," and with Rice as the focus, "serving America" thus means towing the white male patriarchal line. In Rice's acceptance speech, she made sure she worked in what a great guy Bush was and what a privilege it is to follow him around the country. And yeah, she admitted, America has a ways to go with civil rights but at least we try, right? What, one wonders, is Rice doing for civil rights besides sending the message that equality means being "white and to the right." In Rice and her male counterpart Colin Powell, I see the death knell to African American culture: here is a black woman who has pledged her allegiance to a party that has been responsible for actively battling against civil rights for over 100 years. A woman who gushes about a President whose most fervent supporters are rightwingnuts who belong to the KKK, neo-Nazi units, and are racist to the core and whose spiritual advisor (Billy Graham) has just been unmasked in a Nixon tape as a blatant bigot. What Rice stands for is tantamount to what a Jew who joins the "Reformed Nazi Party" and allows himself to be used as a smokescreen in exchange for a little glitz and temporary power stands for: absolutely nothing. They are non-people who have given up their own identities in exchange for becoming reflections of something very ugly indeed. BUT DON'T DESPAIR! Before Condoleeza got up and turned the show into the Red, White and Blue Image awards, the viewers were given a rare and precious glimpse of extraordinary courage. Julian Bond (God bless him!) presented Aaron McGruder with a special award as the groundbreaking creator of the controversial, thought-provoking "Boondocks" comic strip. McGruder, a handsome, intense-looking young man, accepted the award without any fanfare and gushing. Then he quipped right off that he wondered what the directors of the show could have been thinking, putting him and Condy Rice in the same room (I wonder that too!). Then after thanking those near and dear to him, he spoke out. "I think you all know my politics. I do not like the President and I do not like his War." As to the Bush administration, he warned the audience: "They are lying to you." He reminded the audience that Huey (Newton) had been killed — and that if "they" (we all know who he means) take him out too, someone will step in to take his place, too, and a voice of dissent would live on. At last! SOMEONE dared to speak out and so a voice of dissent was raised and heard! McGruder's courage was a rush of wind beneath my tired wings — and the wings, I am sure of many other writers, artists, editors and musicians who are trying to keep the truth alive against huge odds. He has no idea how much his show of courage inspired others — what a gift. Rock on, Aaron! • An addendum to Saturday's diatribe about loaded headlines: MUSLIMS, HINDUS, BURNED ALIVE; Indian Religious Strife Goes on This is what I'd call an "hysteria" headline. It is designed to enrage and disgust Americans at the "barbarity" of Indians, conjuring up images of people being thrown alive onto giant Hindu-style funereal pyres. The real story: Riots in India have lead — as severe riots always do , to awful violence, in which cars were torched and the homes of hundreds of Muslims and Hindus were burned down, and those inside killed. The motive: The Bush administration wants to cast a shadow over India, one of it's most vocal critics. India is angered by Bush's support of the military dictatorship/terrorist training ground that is Pakistan. After all, you never saw headlines during our assault of Afghanistan that screamed: Children Blown to Bits by Cluster Bomblets, or Villagers Burned Alive by Bomb-Triggered Fires (both of which really happened). But while we are on the subject of barbaric people, we Americans don't have to look very damn far if we want to see the world's worst. Check out the historic photo collection that recently was displayed on a tour in the U.S. of white rightwingnut Americans, lynching, decapitating, dismembering and burning alive black men alive as recently as the 1920s! And what about the dragging death of the black man in Texas? Or the brutal assault on Louima by New York police officers? Apparently the "good Christians" in the rightwingnut camp haven't read their Bibles all that carefully or they would have noticed the passage where it says "Let those among you who are without sin cast the first stone," or the bit about taking note of the "mote in thy own eye" before worrying about the one in your neighbor's eye! My own philosophy is that violence is violence no matter where and by whom it is committed, and should be treated with equal outrage. The Bush administration has a helluva lot of housecleaning to do at home before it takes its "mop" elsewhere. Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Tuesday, March 5, 2002 Barbara Lee, not Condoleeza Rice, should receive NAACP Black Image Award Instead of Condoleeza "I Wish I Was Nancy Reagan" Rice, I'd like to nominate Barbara Lee for the NAACP President's award. What kind of courage has Rice really shown? Hiding behind her rich, powerful white pals and doing what the corporate barons want her to do? Barabara Lee was the ONLY Congressperson to stand up against the war. Alone, a female, and black, she has braved death threats from knuckle-dragging Freepers, verbal assaults from her fellow legislators, and yet she still stood up proud and strong for what she believed. This is the sort of black image — hell, American image! — that ought to be recognized and prized. So, shame on you, Mfume! WE know who the real black post-9/11 heroine in D.C. is. Public Service Not a Big Concern of Powell's FCC A recently-released report by the Kaiser Family Foundation entitled "Shouting to Be Heard" finds that television stations are becoming increasingly more self-serving and less concerned with the public interest. Some sad facts: while 20% of all TV air time is devoted to paid commercials, only 0.4% of all TV air time goes to public service announcements, and almost half of these announcements air between midnight and 6 a.m. And now, incredibly, the FCC, under Colin Powell's son Michael, wants to trim that percentage even more. In typical rightwing style, the FCC is trying to make turning the media into a giant trough for corporate piggies a "First Amendment" issue, claiming any public interest requirement violates broadcasters' free-speech rights. Trent "My Toupee is Made of Laminated Fiberglass" Lott, one of the GOP's chief hog sloppers, is especially concerned that the politicians retain the right to use the airwaves as a fund-raising medium. "We're going about [campaign reform] all wrong," says Lott. "I prefer a fundamental approach ... It's called freedom." As in freedom from public responsibility, eh, Trenty boy? Sex Class Scandal at Berkeley was Trumped Up for Rightwinger Agenda Turns out that shocking story of the student-run sexuality class in Berkeley which had allegedly degenerated into a veritable hotbed of homosexuality and orgies was written by a girl who had never attended a single class, whose entire story was based on hearsay from a student who had attended a party thrown by one of the sex class students. We find it just a little bit too convenient that this apparently planted story just happened to run the week Bush was loudly pushing his abstinence-only sex ed plan and a little too convenient that the mainstream media gave the Berkeley story such prominent play. And, not anywhere do we hear of retractions or follow-up stories revealing the feeble source of the story. So now the Bush media net extends not just to the corporate networks, but to the campus outlets. Are "junior mockingbirds" already being recruited for the disinformation campaign? • You'd have to be awfully confident of the future to sign a multimillion-dollar TWELVE-YEAR contract in an unstable area right next door to Iran wouldn't you? In fact, seems that you'd have to just somehow KNOW you were going to have all kinds of security backup for a long time - a military force, perhaps? Well, guess what? In May, 2001, Cheney's Halliburton signed a 12-year contract in Azerbejain, next door to Georgia, THREE MONTHS BEFORE 9/11. Now, oh so conveniently, Bush has moved the U.S. military into Georgia, Azerbejain's neighbor to the north. I think it would be a safe football pool bet to predict that Bush finds some reason to attack Iran, now that he has declared it part of the "evil axis." A little history about Georgia: Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union in April of 1991. Fighting broke out between rebel forces and those loyal to Pres. Zviad Gamaskhurdia, who was driven from the capital by a military coup. The military takeover government set former Soviet foreign minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze up as the new head of state. Meanwhile, in 1994, Gamaskhurdia died of an "apparent suicide." Shevardnadze is a long-time pal of Bush senior, Kissinger, and all the boys in the Carlyle group. He apparently can't wait to divvy up his country's resources to the highest bidding oil barons. The situation in Georgia has followed a pattern that is alarmingly similar to that in 1960s Indonesia. There, the existing president, Sukarno, who didn't want to play ball with the western oil kingpins, was overthrown by a military coup engineered by the CIA (this is actually an admitted-to fact now). Suharto, eager to do business with the oil boys, was set up in his place. The next step was to move U.S. "security forces" into the area, ostensibly to train Indonesian soldiers to fight against "rebel factions" (Bush uses the more inflammatory term terrorists). The troops were actually used as personal security forces — free of charge — for ExxonMobil, Kissinger's Freeport-McMoran gold mine, and any other U.S. robber baron in the area. Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Wednesday, March 6, 2002 Like the "Shadow Government," the "Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities" has been kept under wraps — until now Have YOU ever heard of the "Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities?" If so, you are among the very few. This outfit is a collaboration (collusion?) between the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and the U.S. Marine Corps, whose mission, so it states, "is dedicated to exploring creative methods to address unconventional threats to the security of the United States and exploiting all available opportunities to promote our national interests." It's this last phrase that should set off buzzers and bells. Because what CETO, in effect, stands for, is making defense strategies (as in declaring countries "evil" enemies) completely paired with "exploiting all available opportunities." And, it appears to be focusing on opportunities for pushing high-tech weaponry and communications systems. The Potomac Institute's mission statement says it is "Dedicated to the development and implementation of policies that advocate and manage the increasing role of science and technology in our evolving world." One look at the list of players in the Potomac Institute and the type of technology and its application becomes quite apparent: it follows the Bush theme - war is good for business, in fact war IS business. Its CEO is Michael S. Swetman: Republican party mover and shaker, exec at GTE Corporation. Second in command is Lyle A. Cox, VP Corporate Development of ANSER, a company specializing, in essence, in "war infrastructure". Business is booming. Here's an excerpt from ANSER's ":Leadership Letter": "Our growth has resulted from corporate investments in three major areas: information technology, counterproliferation and regional security, and aerospace cooperative activities with Russia." Other names in the list of players include numerous Washington-based professional lobbyists ( they call themselves "legislative consultants" these days, but a rose, or should I say stink cabbage, by any other name ...). "Perhaps the most ominous bit of info about CETO: it was quietly set up in November 2000 — right after the election. Guess they knew their boy would prevail over any contest to his claim to the presidency. If anyone doubts that the Bush regime and its pals in the places like the Potomac Institute are setting up everything they need to have a world-dominating high-tech military-corporate empire, then they haven't read much history and need bifocals to see the emerging writing on the White House wall." We will bring you more on this story. Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Friday, March 8, 2002 Riddle: What do Ayn Rand, the Yampa River and Thomas Jefferson Have in Common....? On yesterday's Unknown News, there were three things near the top of the main page that caught my eye and "got me goin' " (as those near and dear describe my bursts of indignation at such things). First, there was a quote from Thomas Jefferson, whom I greatly admire as an artist and scholar, but with whom I have bones to pick on other issues — one of his many about how the least government and fewest regulations are best. Next there was link to a piece about a "citizens' group" that was whining about how unfair they thought the designation of the Yampa River in Colorado as a scenic river would be. Finally there was a link to a piece about an Ayn Rand fan. Put them altogether — and they do all go together — and voila! Today's diatribe! Let's start with Ayn Rand. This darling of the rightwing "intellectuals" (what any of them with an IQ over room temperature call themselves) worshipped the free market system and believed in the right of the individual above all else. She admired corporate barons as "self-made men" who made their own rules. The end result of this the "self-made man" who makes his own rules up as he goes along is what we have right now, a corporate-run world where life is boiling down to "survival of the fittest wallet." That is why rivers like the Yampa are being polluted by nitrate and pesticide runoff from farming, toxic wastes from mining, and the noise, erosion and pollution that comes with unrestrained use. Let's get real: the track record for individuals succeeding in constructive self-regulation is pretty sad. The history is that no one does it unless pressed to do so. And, the "self-made men" of whom Rand speaks so reverently tend to be the Ken Lays, Andrew Carnegies and Henry Kissingers of the world. Can you think of a single "self-made individualist" rolling in bucks who has not trashed more than their share of the environment or exploited more than their share of the labor, natural resources, political push, etc. available? I for one cannot. Sure, many of them eventually give back, but only after they had extracted their pound of flesh. Rockefeller donated big chunks of land to the park service, but before that he probably trashed enough acreage irreversibly and ruined enough lives (few remember, for ex., the devastating miner's strikes that left dozens dead out west, thanks to Rockefeller) to leave his cosmic accounts still in the red. Bill Gates now gives away vaccines (which of course also aids the pharmaceutical industry quite a bit — they have a history of dumping vaccines which have exhausted their shelf life off on third worlders), but his cartel-like empire also put many small companies out of business forever and stomped on many other people's dreams. Ted Turner has been amazingly generous — but then turned around and wiped out most of his net good by turning over CNN to the corporate propaganda machine. These guys never think about the consequences of their actions as they climb toward "self-madeness": after all, the first word in self-made is SELF. And so the litany of "screw the future, get it while ya can" goes on and on. The Nuke guys like the power and cash from their plants, but want someone else to worry about the potentially catastrophic wastes. The computer industry wants everyone to upgrade with new and amazing models every few years - but is dumping the toxic discards from trade-ups in poor nations like China. The oil industry wants to scoop up a few billion bucks in Afghanistan, Georgia, et al, but don't care how many Afghan, Georgian, or American lives are destroyed forever in the process. And, to get back to the original jumping off point for this rant, the mining industry wants to be able to continue to operate on the Yampa River unimpeded for years to come and let some other generation down the line mop up the damage. Contrary what the Ayn Rands or George Bush's of the world may tell you, none of this is about freedom. It is all about greed. And, in the U.S., thanks to the corporate model that was promoted by people like Rand and her most ardent devotees (among whom are every rightwing corporate creep who ever crawled out from under a rock), GREED and FREEDOM have become synonymous. When Bush ratchets up the war to twenty two bloody fronts to line the pockets of defense contractors and oil barons, it's all about FREEDOM. When Ashcroft locks up hundreds of people without charges or recourse to justice, it's all about PROTECTING FREEDOM. When Ken Lay and his cronies trash the lives of thousands of employees, its all about the FREEDOM of the capitalist system. When a handful of individuals representing the Trapper Mine and Tri-State Power plants are pushing for to preserve their right to pollute a river that technically belongs to the entire nation - at least an entire state — it's all about FREEDOM. When Jefferson said the ideal government is the one that governs least, he was coming from a perspective of a rich white guy who represented an elite 5% of the entire population of the U.S. at the time: The 5% with enough money and connection to have any power at all. In Jefferson's day only white males who owned land had the right to vote. Women, poor workers and slaves didn't count. So the clique running the show was a pretty damn small club with few worries and no one to answer to. Yep, they kept the regulations to a minimum, all right. That's why there were no child labor laws, no anti-slavery laws, no laws protecting women in any way — not even any laws against murdering Indians. The only time it occurred to these early "individualists" to call for some sort of regulation was when the wolf made it all the way to the door. For example, some communities in Massachusetts had to institute regulations pertaining to tree cutting as early as the 1770s because so few trees were left by the "rugged individualists" wildly wielding axes in the hopes of making a killing in the English wood market that people were beginning to lack firewood and basic lumber! ( a fine example of "self-regulation!"). The out-of-control state of corporations in the U.S. is not due to government regulation. It is due to the REFUSAL of the government to regulate corporations in a meaningful way. What we have right now is NOT a real government, it is a bureaucratic arm of the corporations, swimming in paperwork and petty regulations while failing to address any real issue squarely, esp. any issue of concern to the average guy or gal on the street. Campaign finance reform is a prime example. The result of this situation is that individual rights are being taken away by the cartload while corporate rights are being progressively expanded. One of the nastiest strategies being used by corporate propagandists is the spreading of the myth that all government regulation is BAD BAD BAD. But anyone who knows what really goes on with the government and corporations will tell you that the corporations only think the regulations that cramp THEIR style are bad. At the same time, they will lobby endlessly for any regulation that serves their interest. So the corporations shriek loudly about how bad wage, pollution, campaign finance, and land use regulations are and egg citizens on to protest them (these anti-regulation grassroots groups don't know it, but they are merely free lobbying operations for the corporations). While protesting these "awful regulatory burdens," they are also more quietly lobbying FOR new regulations that will further their own interests. Thus, they are FOR regulations that make it impossible for workers to strike, FOR regulations that make it illegal to label foods as "irradiated" even if they are, FOR regulations that create new and better tax loopholes, FOR regulations that will insure that corporations can funnel millions into political campaigns, etc., ad nauseum. We need regulations - there are too many greedy sonofabitches out there who will ruin life for the rest of us if we don't have them. In fact, without them, we would have a "war lord" society, just as they have in any country where regulation is lacking, be it Afghanistan or the American West circa 1880. However, we do not need many regulations. We just need good ones. But for every meaningful regulation we have now, we have about 100 that are either meaningless or downright harmful to the true public welfare.
I for one think that Mamma Nature here in the USA has been chewed up and spit out by too many "self-made men" who didn't give a damn about what they left for the next generation or two or ten to deal with. Any land that we can preserve should be preserved. Calls for private landowners to be good stewards of their land, or pledges by businesses large and small to responsibly self-regulate land use have failed miserably. (There ARE a few individuals and businesses who are good stewards, but they are in the teensy minority). I for one want our grandchildren to have a shot at a decent environment and a chance to have lives full of opportunity - not lives spent cleaning up after us. What kind of FREEDOM would that be?
Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Sunday, March 10, 2002 Through the Looking Glass with the Bush Administration Since November 2001, it feels as if the nation has been dragged backward through a Bush and into a bizarre Looking Glass world where everything is the opposite to what it should be. Progressive, thinking people are beginning to feel like Alice in Wonderland, surrounded by surrealistic characters and events and wishing they could wake up and find it all a dream! Going through Alice in Wonderland and Alice through the Looking Glass, I was stunned to find how well some of these characters really DO parallel Bush world! Here's an "Alice's Eye View" of Bush World: Supreme Court: Justices Scalia and O'Connor presiding Tom Ridge and John Ashcroft Prepare for Terrorism attack Mary Matalin orders a reporter to leave West Wing Tommy Franks rides off to battle Condoleeza Rice lectures aide on proper way to lie about the war Cheney's secret hiding place behind curtain in oval office Ari Fleischer greets well wisher George Bush delivers state of the union Corporate media at work Corporate America versus the little guy Biotechnology laboratory at Monsanto Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay confronted by former Enron employees Linda Lay Tells Her Tale of Woe on NBC Alan Greenspan (on left) and George Bush deal with skeptical economist Dennis Hastert Demonstrates to freshman congressman how to handle slippery situations Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Tuesday, March 12, 2002 SOCIOPATH GEORGE BUSH GUILTY OF CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, PAST, PRESENT AND CONTEMPLATED Bush is insane. There is no doubt in my mind now. Americans have tried to pass him off as stupid, naive, undereducated, a wishywashy codependent with no mind of his own, a corporate pawn, a well-meaning boob, or, at best, someone who MAYBE, just maybe might grow into a halfway decent sort. The past week should make it very obvious to all that Bush is none of these things. He is a charming lunatic, just as Hitler was a charming lunatic. Just as serial murdered Ted Bundy was a charming lunatic. Just as Mussolini was a charming lunatic. Hell - just as Hannibal Lechter was a charming lunatic! Pick up any psychopathology textbook and under "sociopath" you will find that, by definition, this type of lunatic IS, nearly always, able to be charming when it can gain them an advantage. But, also by definition, a sociopath has no conscience, no concept or even capacity for true compassion. Why couldn't America see that ugly symptom in Bush's snickering at the pleading of condemned criminal Carla Faye Tucker for her life. In his snickering upon hearing of the three-way disaster of 9/11 that he'd "won the Trifecta"? In his eager willingness to commit our young men and women to a vague, potentially brutal conflict in Afghanistan so he could gain temporary political advantage and long-term oil revenue for his friends and family? A sociopath will never hesitate to exploit any person or situation before them that has the potential to be used as a personal stepping stone. Thus at the mildest end of the sociopathic spectrum we have con artists and pimps. At far end of the range we have concentration camp commanders and - we have George Bush. That Bush would even CONSIDER drawing up a list of nations he could even PONDER nuking is a final statement on his moral character - he has absolutely none - it is proof positive that a sociopath now occupies the White House. Alas, another classic feature of the sociopath is that they have an uncanny ability to surround themselves with willing victims and with codependent lackeys willing to do anything - sacrifice anything - for them for very little in return. Thus the con artist has an endless supply of "pigeons" eager for plucking, the pimp always has his whores willing to pay his bills, the drunk always has devoted codependents to make excuses for him, and the wife beater always has a "little woman" willing to "try just one more time. Now we have George Bush with his tenacious army of supporters who fit all other four categories - media pigeons, political whores, Democrat codependents, and scared little women in great big SUVs. Eager victims and facilitators all. They say Ted Bundy lost his charm awfully damn fast when the jury got to see photos of his victims and hear first hand what the consequences of his actions truly were. In the coming days we shall submit evidence to the ladies and gentlemen of the American jury of crimes both committed and contemplated by the resident White House sociopath. The verdict will be yours. Here we show the actual consequences of a nuclear bomb would be. Look at these photos and documents and ask yourself, what kind of human being would draw up a list of not one, but SEVEN nations he could envision doing these things to, for ANY reason: The bomb Postcards drawn by children who survived hisoshima Exposure Map of U.S., compiled by National Cancer Institute, showing county-by-county how the last Cold War Republican government's insanity and paranoia contaminated America via radiation from above ground tests. Dying family 1.5 miles from Hiroshima's ground zero Nagasaki Survivor Living Witnesses to the Atomic Bomb American Power: total utter destruction of every living thing within several square miles Total destruction Child radiation burn victim The impact of the Atomic Bomb on Japan • DIATRIBBLE: THANK GOD FOR DENNIS KUCINICH AND THE INTERNET!!: The list of true American heroes right now is getting shorter all the time. But I'm happy to say that there are still some around. Like Ohio Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich, who rocked D.C. In an incredible speech a few weeks back, Kucinich told the audience: "We did not authorize an eye for an eye. Nor did we ask that the blood of innocent people, who perished on September 11, be avenged with the blood of innocent villagers in Afghanistan. We did not authorize the Administration to wage war anytime, anywhere, anyhow it pleases. We did not authorize war without end. We did not authorize a permanent war economy. Yet we are upon the threshold of a permanent war economy." His speech was met with thunderous applause and repeated standing ovations. Now does THAT response support the corporate media's trumped up image of an America uniformly gungho for war? Hardly! And, Kucinich has received thousands upon thousands of supportive e-mails since. When cartoonist parody of the greedy survivors haunting talk shows for self-aggrandizement was pulled by the NY Times and other outlets as "offending our readers," the flood of E-MAIL to the cartoonist ran FOUR TO ONE in FAVOR of the cartoon. In short, the mainstream media has "Gone Goebbels" and can no longer make the slightest pretense of representing the will or the best interests of the people. Which brings me to the next point: THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET!!!! The corporate propaganda machine uses its cash and power to create a phony image to hold up to America as a "mirror". But the real will of the people comes through the uncensored Internet. Did you know that 20-40 MILLION e-mails are sent to Congress every year, but that few are ever read. Legislators whine that it's mostly spam, but I find this hard to believe, with all the high-tech screening systems that could be afforded and implemented at this level! Even if 19 out of 20 emails WERE spam, that means that there are 1-2 MILLION real consistent emails being ignored as well. So, I will leave you with this scary quote — and ask yourself just how well it applies to the current situation: "The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth becomes the greatest enemy of the State."Obviously, the last part is just drivel. You definately have him there. "Having him" had nothing to do with the response. But, if you are, as I suspect, a rightwinger, that would, indeed, be your style. But if we look at the first part of his letter, and subtract the last you have a fairly reasonable question. So what do you think America should do in response to the bloodiest attack ever on US soil? You do a fine job of correcting his error in this question. This indeed wasn't the bloodiest conflict on US soil. So we can drop that. So what do you think America should do in response [to the attack?] That seems like a pretty fair question. However, you never touch upon it. And, if you did indeed "regularly frequent" the site, you would know that we and our readers have had volumes to say about what should be done not just in response to 9/11 but to wide variety of other problems. However,we are not a political party. Our focus is providing readers with important information they would not find otherwise because the mainstream media suppresses it. Hence the name — get it!? — "Unknown News."The man came at you with simple minded drivel and you responded in a similar vein. If the goal of the site is to preach to the quoir, why have a site. What's a quoir?If it is to appeal to peoples minds with new ideas, it hardly seems wise to insult them. Only a rightwinger would perceive an intelligently written response to an insulting letter as "insulting"!If you had directly answered his question rather than criticize his methods, there is potential for debate and from that, some type of education. As I said, if you read the site and had seen the letter when it first appeared some days ago in our "dialogue box" and read Helen's very direct response, you wouldn't be making this comment.Additionally, if you're going to talk about the bloodiest conflicts on American soil, I thought it was amusing that you included civil war references, World War references and even European references but never touched on the greatest losses of life on American soil. Seen any Indians lately? The reason I did not touch on the "Indians" (you ARE a rightwinger) is because we were dealing with the 20th century only. On the topic of Native Americans, I could write volumes — and in fact, have written quite a bit. If you could find a copy of my book "Thoreau's Maine Woods Yesterday and Today" there is a chapter in there devoted to the massacres in Maine alone.As well, though 9/11 wasn't the world darkest day, it was a dark day for many people. Some still have yet to get used to it, especially those who have lost someone. Incidently, it is some people's nature to want some form of retribution for such actions. Though we may disagree citing that Violence begets Violence, you still have to consider that many people still want an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and think that that is a proper beleif structure. Considering we're only mortal people, who are we do say that we are completely right and they are completely wrong. I'm only a college student and I can see that the world doesn't work that way. The answer lies somewhere in the middle if it even exists at all. I suggest you study world history for a semester — ideally, take the two-part Western Civilization classes offered at many schools, that will take you from the "B.C." era through to the 20th century. Then, having examined this long litany of violence responding to violence, of societies crumbling over and over due to unresolvable conflicts, then maybe you will see the answer. And it ain't violence.If you percieve any of this message as vindictive I apologise, my>intention is not to mock you, however, your handling of "fuck you"'s letter just struck me as somewhat elitest and I thought it should be addressed. I think it is extremely sad that in a nation with supposedly the greatest educational resources in the world, the most extensive media, the highest number of computers per head, and the greatest amount of disposable income to spend on books, that it is considered "elitist" when you demand that Americans know at least the most fundamental history of the U.S. and the world that surrounds them.The best way to make poeple aware is through open dialogue. Even the best of us get swept up in our own perspective given the chance. This includes me to. In the final analysis, our own perspective is all we ever have. That is what makes the human race such an amazing kaleidescope of ideas. And it is to the preservation and encouragement of that kaeidscope that Unknown News is dedicated. It is very important, however, to distinquish between an idea and an assault. Sending someone a three-line note signed "Fuck You" does not constitute "sharing an idea."Please write me back, and thank you. —Jake S. Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Sunday, March 24, 2002 COMIC RELIEF DEPT Babbles from the White House One look at the title of this White House Press Release — "Remarks by the President and Vice-President at the conclusion of breakfast" and you just know it's hot stuff. Hot and oozing sloppy stuff like an undercooked poached egg. Here's my edited version of the first part: (my insertions are in italics) BUSH: "Good morning, thank you all for coming. I just had a breakfast with Vice President Cheney (Yep, my ole pal Cheney had a hard boiled egg and a glass of Metamucil and I had fruit loops — did the puzzle on the back of the box, too, but Dick had to help me with the tough words). And as you all know [Dick's] returned from a lengthy and successful trip to the Middle East (Well, least he didn't actually get run out of the country on a rail - even though we were kinda worryin' for a while there in Turkey) — the first trip I asked him to go on ("Well, least I handed him the phone when my Daddy called to talk to him"). I sent him to the region because this is an incredibly important part of the world ("I know cause that's what it says here in this note Kari Hughes just passed me."). And it's a turbulent part of the world ("Wow! I got that one right first try — TURBULENT! Just try sayin' that fast three times!" ). And the Vice President took a lot of messages on behalf of our administration and made some really good progress ("Not sure what he was doin' or what the messages were, but he wasn't on a stretcher when he came back so that's progress!"). I'm really proud of how he handled himself, and how he delivered the message ("and most of all how he managed to do it all without one of them attacks he gets when that thing in his chest starts buzzin' and whirrin' and his face turns all purple."). One of Earth's Poorest Nations Leads World Way in "Gift of Earth" Program While the Bush administration and its legion of corporate whiners have been busy trying to roll back about every environmental regulation on the books in the name of "economic need," one of the poorest nations on the planet has put up, shut up and made a remarkable achievement. Bolivia was honored in the Neth |
