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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
 Posted - 01/16/2005 : 00:00:43
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Am I the only one who is absolutely appalled at the level of propaganda the current administration is putting out?
The latest scandal of having paid a huge sum of taxpayer's money to a reporter to praise the "No child Left Behind" policy shows they will go to any length to keep up the marketing of government.
Now there are the 'fake' town meetings and other such 'staged' events like Bush used almost daily during the campaign being continued as common practice by the administration.
President Meets with Displaced Workers in Town Hall Meeting
President Participates in Conversation on Higher Education, Job Training
President Discusses No Child Left Behind and High School Initiatives
President Participates in Conversation on Social Security Reform
These events go way beyond photo ops of previous administrations and fall well into the definition of pure propaganda. The attendees are all prescreened maybe not even bothering to use the necessary security excuse. To attend an event, you must be a Bush supporter. To ask a question, it has to be a question Bush wants to answer. These are totally fake events.
It rivals my vision of what it must be like to live in one of those countries where the government version of events goes out no matter how far from reality it is. I picture Tarik Aziz standing before the cameras claiming the troops are not in Baghdad.
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Edited by - beskeptigal on 01/16/2005 00:01:47
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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2005 : 00:21:45 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by beskeptigal
Am I the only one who is absolutely appalled at the level of propaganda the current administration is putting out?
The latest scandal of having paid a huge sum of taxpayer's money to a reporter to praise the "No child Left Behind" policy shows they will go to any length to keep up the marketing of government.
Now there are the 'fake' town meetings and other such 'staged' events like Bush used almost daily during the campaign being continued as common practice by the administration.
Yes-- it's insane. the Daily Show mocked it a few nights ago when Bush was doing one of his Social Security pep rallies. The punch line was that Bush is living in his own personal Truman Show, where his whole world is scripted.
Here: I fucking hate our President and everyone associated with him. He's either a liar or a stooge, and neither description is a particularly comforting image for our country's leader to have. |
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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2005 : 00:33:25 [Permalink]
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I thought I'd point readers to the Daily Hower from 1/15/05 to look at a review of Bush's lies about Social Security. Indeed, Paul Krugman has for some time demonstrated that this administration's views on Social Security are all lies. (See now his excellent article which tragically and easily exposes the administration's lies on the issue.)
Bush and his cronies are evil, evil men who have nothing on their minds but making more wealth for themselves. This plan will be a disaster for everyone but the richest few people on earth, and for them it will be a boon like no other.
His plans must be stopped! |
| Edited by - Cuneiformist on 01/16/2005 08:29:10 |
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Renae
SFN Regular
543 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2005 : 06:56:49 [Permalink]
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I'm suffering from Outrage Fatigue. Whenver I think the Bushies can't possibly concoct a more outrageous lie, or convince people that up is down, or crap even more on the poor/the environment/the elderly/whatever and get away with it...they do exactly those things.
The neo-cons have a massive propaganda machine helping them: right wing radio, Fox news and increasingly the mainstream media. And the old guard of true journalism (Bill Moyers, Dan Rather, et al) are slowly falling away.
Who, pray tell, is going to call the Bushies on this stuff?
The Truman Show analogy is funny but chilling. |
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Wendy
SFN Regular
USA
614 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2005 : 07:41:41 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Renae
I'm suffering from Outrage Fatigue.
Same here. I was a Kerry campaign volunteer. Since my state is VERY red, that was tiring in itself. I will never forget how confident I felt the morning of the election, and how stunned I was late that night when I realized everything had gone horribly wrong.
quote:
Originally posted by beskeptigal
Am I the only one who is absolutely appalled at the level of propaganda the current administration is putting out?
No, there are many who feel as you do. We just don't know what the hell to do about it. 
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Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do on a rainy afternoon.
-- Susan Ertz
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2005 : 22:04:50 [Permalink]
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quote:
We just don't know what the hell to do about it
Until some democrat billionaire (George Soros comes to mind) launches the left equivilent to FOX-News, there is little that can really be done.
It is very unlikely to ever happen though, because this country thrives on sensationalism and eats the outright lies of FOX and the neocon pundits (Limbaugh, Coulter, ect...) like candy.
I'm not sure a left-oriented network would get the ratings needed to stay afloat. Truth doesn't sell.
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Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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satans_mom
Skeptic Friend
USA
148 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2005 : 01:12:48 [Permalink]
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quote:
Truth doesn't sell.
Yeah, but when was the last time someone tried it?
The outrage fatigue syndrome is inevitable. However, such infuriated Americans also boost this country's image-- we are the epitome of freedom, because there are completely fanatical Bush supporters and completely fanatical activists against the administration and the government appears to tolerate them both well. However, my arm isn't quite long enough to reach the administration, and those hands who are don't seem to be doing a whole lot to change anything. Perhaps the most useful defense against our current state in nihilism. There is a government and a horrible administration but I won't longer let it have anything to do with me (as far as possible). The environment is capable of defeating our species and all this pollution will do us in, I'll just wait to see the day, but in the meantime, earn some brownie points by not doing my part in polluting the earth. There are oppressed peoples all over the earth that receive unfair treatment (such as civilians in Iraq) but civilation has always been this way. History is once again repeating itself and will continue to do so. There is always something to be angry at, and I will do my part to not be a part of it. Does this mean it will change anything? I think it's worth a try. Getting worked up and passing out flyers may cause a great anti-government trend for awhile and change a law or two and create a sense of reform, but I think changing the way people rule the earth is going to take a lot more than a pissed-off country. |
Yo mama's so fat, she's on both sides of the family.
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satans_mom
Skeptic Friend
USA
148 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2005 : 01:13:58 [Permalink]
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| Or at that, a pissed off global population. It would take a reversal of several thousand years. But this, I am down for. |
Yo mama's so fat, she's on both sides of the family.
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Valiant Dancer
Forum Goalie
USA
4826 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2005 : 08:38:44 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by beskeptigal
Am I the only one who is absolutely appalled at the level of propaganda the current administration is putting out?
The latest scandal of having paid a huge sum of taxpayer's money to a reporter to praise the "No child Left Behind" policy shows they will go to any length to keep up the marketing of government.
Now there are the 'fake' town meetings and other such 'staged' events like Bush used almost daily during the campaign being continued as common practice by the administration.
President Meets with Displaced Workers in Town Hall Meeting
President Participates in Conversation on Higher Education, Job Training
President Discusses No Child Left Behind and High School Initiatives
President Participates in Conversation on Social Security Reform
These events go way beyond photo ops of previous administrations and fall well into the definition of pure propaganda. The attendees are all prescreened maybe not even bothering to use the necessary security excuse. To attend an event, you must be a Bush supporter. To ask a question, it has to be a question Bush wants to answer. These are totally fake events.
It rivals my vision of what it must be like to live in one of those countries where the government version of events goes out no matter how far from reality it is. I picture Tarik Aziz standing before the cameras claiming the troops are not in Baghdad.
The first thing that leaped to mind over the huge payout for touting NCLB as a success was "Wasn't Payola made illegal in the 60's?" The government made use of it back then, too. They made "The Ballad of the Green Beret" a number one hit.
I think the person you are thinking of is Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf, the Iraqi Information Minister, not Tarik Aziz.
A website dedicated to the wonderous musings of this truely incredible person is here.
http://www.welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com/ |
Cthulhu/Asmodeus when you're tired of voting for the lesser of two evils
Brother Cutlass of Reasoned Discussion |
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Wendy
SFN Regular
USA
614 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2005 : 12:18:04 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Dude
I'm not sure a left-oriented network would get the ratings needed to stay afloat. Truth doesn't sell.
That's sad, but it seems to be accurate. There's a heck of a lot of truth in every episode of The Daily Show, but it's full of satire and silliness to make it entertaining. |
Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do on a rainy afternoon.
-- Susan Ertz
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gezzam
SFN Regular
Australia
751 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2005 : 13:56:54 [Permalink]
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quote:
Until some democrat billionaire (George Soros comes to mind) launches the left equivilent to FOX-News, there is little that can really be done.
It is very unlikely to ever happen though, because this country thrives on sensationalism and eats the outright lies of FOX and the neocon pundits (Limbaugh, Coulter, ect...) like candy.
I'm not sure a left-oriented network would get the ratings needed to stay afloat. Truth doesn't sell.
Don't think that will ever happen Dude, the success of Fox News and the like is the fact that most people that watch or listen have already made up their mind and all they want is someone to tell 'em they are right. No pun intended.
The problem is that the current administration has done so well in making it seem that any attack on them or their policies is displaying a lack of patriotism. With the right wing media constantly peddling the outright lies of the Whitehouse and pricks like Drudge, to have an opinion that opposes the "mainstream" almost be akin to believing in Allah.
Political boundaries move over time and the right have their day in the sun at the moment. Part of their success is making people selfish and that my friends will bite them in the foot when their economic policies go pear shaped. Nothing changes a voters mind faster than a sore hip pocket. Social outrage only lasts so long with most, financial hardship hurts constantly.
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Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from.
Al Franken |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2005 : 14:39:46 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Valiant Dancer
I think the person you are thinking of is Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf, the Iraqi Information Minister, not Tarik Aziz.
A website dedicated to the wonderous musings of this truely incredible person is here.
http://www.welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com/
Oh heavens, you're right. My bad. Aziz had plenty of his own fake comments but I was thinking of the Info. Minister. |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2005 : 14:42:57 [Permalink]
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| I am still in disbelief of why FOX could go on and on about the fake memo incident on CBS and the other networks do nothing about the all the lies on FOX. |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 02:11:21 [Permalink]
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But wait, there's more....
It is with great pleasure we present Jeff Gannon, our new sneaky addition to the WA Press Corp.
So after paying big sums to a couple of reporters to push Bush agendas in the guise of news, after receiving glowing reports of the "incredibly bold speech" Bush gave without disclosing the reporters gushing praise actually wrote much of the speech, Bush claimed, we won't be paying reporters for any more stories. He implied it was a mistake, (did he say that?), and he had put a stop to it.
So why then are all the late night comedy shows joking about the questions asked by the latest addition to the WA Press Corp? Well it might be because Gannon asked this question, "Senate Democratic leaders have painted a very bleak picture of the U.S. economy: Harry Reid, who's talking about soup lines, and Hillary Clinton was talking about the economy being on the verge of collapse. Yet in the same breath, they say that Social Security is rock solid and there's no crisis there. You've said you're going to reach out to these people. How are you going to work with people who seem to have divorced themselves from reality?"
Airamerica-radio, Al Frankin, says Harry Reid never made such a statement about soup lines. Rush L. loves this Gannon guy.
This is just disgusting. Do you think Bush has been reading Brave New World or 1984 lately? |
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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 07:09:17 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by beskeptigal
But wait, there's more....
It is with great pleasure we present Jeff Gannon, our new sneaky addition to the WA Press Corp.
You can read more about this at MediaMatters.org. It's verging on fucking evil-- not only does Bush rarely ever appear in front of non-selected (and pro-Bush) crowds, it's now clear that his Press Secretary has a bona fide shill in the press corps ready to bail him out with pro-Bush questions! Evil evil evil! |
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Starman
SFN Regular
Sweden
1613 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 07:13:08 [Permalink]
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| Control the information and you don't have to worry about the democratic process... |
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