Zarqawi , Coulter, Gays and Canada's Borders: The Battle for the Media

[McCamy Taylor]

It started last week with the revelation that GAYS ARE STILL GETTING MARRIED in the US. This breaking news sent the White House into action, with promises that W. would jump right on an emergency Constitutional Ammendment to ban same sex marriages, even though Boss Cheney was not really interested, nor were most of the American people. Media pundits called it a diversionary tactic, but hey, at least they stopped talking about Haditha and the war for a few minutes.

Then, we had the Canadian border scare. The new, improved US sponsored Canadian government rounded themselves up a bunch of honest to god muslim terrorists. This was good for a weekend and who knows? Maybe some grey hairs in Minneapolis changed their minds about voting on Medicare rather than Terror this fall.

Next, Ann Coulter, media whore extraordinaire, opened her mouth and inserted an entire bony extremity. Forget the crimes which the administration had committed. The press spent a couple of days reporting on what she had commented.

And now, we are told that the Big Bad Wolf Zarqawi is dead.

Ever get the feeling that your name is Truman and that you live in a town called Seahaven where your life is being scripted by Ed Harris? Well guess what? You are right, except for the names, which have been changed. Once upon a time, television news was something that Walter Cronkite presented for a half hour each day to keep us informed so that we could do our job as vigilant citizens of a democracy. Now, we live in TV Newsland, sort of akin to Graceland or Neverland, a fantasy world where Karl Rove likes to imagine that he is Rasputin.

In TV Newsland, Rasputin-Rove has a secret room where he keeps trophy heads of the reporters he has bagged. Dan Rather, Vivek Novek, Bob Novak. Bob Wooward, Armstromg Williams, Judy Miller... they are all stuffed and mounted along the walls, a reminded that Karl can snap his fingers and bring down even the biggest journalist. TV Newsland boasts its own TV News station---Fox News, its own newspapers, including the Washington Times among others, a whole chain of radio stations. It is easy for Rove-Rasputin to get a story on the air or in print.

It is getting harder for him to kill a story since the defection of one time ally GE/NBC in a nasty disagreement over the price of oil and its long term consequences for the economic health of America. However, if you can not kill a story, you can always bury it under a flood of distractions. A new White House initiative here. A white co-ed killed there. A minor administration scandal of a salacious nature to distract the media from a major scandal of a less juicy variety. Presidential press conferences timed for 8pm est. Threatened prosecution of reporters who write negative stories about the White House and threatened searched of Congressmen who investigate the White House don't hurt, if the Attorney General happens to think he is still the White House Counsel.

Given the current war which the administration is waging for control of the news media, it is a wonder that anyone in the press dares to defy them. I would like to take this opportunity to salute the brave men and women behind the press passes who still write all the news that fits to print or post or air. It helps that 66% of Americans want to hear or read what they have to say, but it still takes guts to go up against Rove-Rasputin.

"Be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm hunting wepoters."

[oc2002]

1. smartly said

it seems like Rove is back.

anyone else notice Al Z. looked pritty good for one killed by TWO 5 hundred pound bombs?

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. After seeing that video it's hard to believe that the body would be

in one piece.

[AndyTiedye]

2. They Are Only Allowed Off The Reservation BETWEEN Election Cycles

Karl has given them their marching orders.
It's All Republicans All the Time from now on.

Otherwise all their corporate data gets leaked to their competitors.

[WHAT]

4. Really!...

thanks for saying that!...much better than I could. I wish there was a special forum for the topic du jour so they wouldn't interfere with real discussion, but, maybe that's the point. Even if the subject is topical, there is so much piling-on that it obfuscates the issue.

Well, I'm glad to read your post because it reflects my thoughts on it.

[Dr Fate]

5. Zar-who-ee?

Dont worry- the public will forget all about this in a few days. If anything, they know Zar-who-ee aint Bin Lad-forgotten.

Fewer people than you think even know who Zarwhoee even is. People stopped tuning into anything but local news well over a year ago.