There are increasing reasons for you to ignore the Mainstream Media (MSM - aka the 'Dead Tree Media', 'Legacy Media', Corporate Media). The handling of major issues by the MSM has become worse since the advent of the World Wide Web. It seems that the Statist Propaganda has gotten stupider while the level of crass superficial nonsense intended to incite conflict has increased commensurately.
Where the MSM routinely fails:
Conspiracy theories: The Big Media scoffs at anything that goes against the state. It's favorite ad hominem attack is to label all anti government information a 'conspiracy theory'. As if people would never work together to achieve their own ends. Despite the word 'conspiracy' all over the place in our legal code, the idea of smiling, wonderful, altruistic, weeping public servants working together, well, that's just impossible. The MSM expect that you've never read anything other than your high school history textbook, because even a cursory perusal of history shows people working together (conspiring) all the time. Its favorite whipping boy is the use of the term 'New World Order'. This, despite the fact that Fabian Socialist HG Wells wrote a book with that title, that former Pres. GHW Bush repeatedly used the term during his term, that heads of state are trying to force the idea of World Gov't down people's throats. You can watch this term that is supposedly used only by "conspiracy theorists" here: (but remember - 'global governance' and the 'new world order' are only things that tinfoil hat wearing oddballs talk about).
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!
Hypocrisy - brazen and blatant: The 'liberal press' is something of a misnomer. A better term would be 'corporate press'. As the American government seems completely on the take to the big corporations, as well as having consolidated itself (conspired?!) into only 6 huge companies, the idea that it is 'liberal' is really not true. The gov't media complex has grown so powerful and rich, paying attention to massive corporations like NBC, or the NY Times, or MSNBC or FOX seems patently absurd. It is somewhat sad to see the once proud American Left kowtow to corporate shills like the Times or its www version, the Daily Kos. Unfortunately, the illusion of an impartial press still works, as the Tenth Amendment Centers's Shane Trejo points out: "However, the liberals at DailyKos are the contemptible, bootlicking, excuse-making cowards that have enabled Obama’s reign of terror. They’re the type of liberals who hated Guantanamo Bay when Bush was around, but are just fine with it now. They’re the type of liberals who hated illegal wars when Bush was around, but are vocal supporters of Obama’s humanitarian kinetic military actions in places like Syria and Libya. They’re the type of liberals who whined about Bush’s illegal snooping, but are A-OK with Obama’s even worse illegal snooping". Apparently the people at Daily Kos haven't realized that their 'solidarity' with Occupy Wall St. should have included the Corporations that peddle Mainstream Media.
Create Distractions and Discord Among the People: The Trayvon Martin affair, the Benghazi Affair, Drone attacks here and overseas, warrantless wiretapping, eternal war, big banks run amok courtesy of the Federal Reserve - - these and other issues are cloddishly turned into Left vs. Right or White vs. Black. Had problems with what happened in Benghazi? Well then you must be some right wingnut conservative. How dare you question Hillary Clinton? You disagree with the NSA spooks reading, watching, storing and listening to everything you do? What are you some sort of commie liberal?
This is the sort of wholly artificial 'debate' that the MSM attempts to shoehorn the Electorate into. Fortunately, there are some safety valves available for thinking people:
Zerohedge.com - - Known for its rabidly independent articles, 'Tyler Durden' posts mostly economic news, but includes current affairs and opinion. The commenters are ferociously independent, and exceedingly funny at times. Often I get more interesting information and links from the comments, all of it detrimental to the Power Elite. Interestingly, the foul language is at a minimum. It's great fun to watch someone (usually a sock puppet) wade into the comments section trying to gin up the fake Left vs. Right stuff, usually with a comment like "well if you constantly push Conservative policy" or "those Libs have ruined a great country!" It never works and it's great theater watching them get obliterated.
Taki's Magazine - - "Politics, Cultural Caviar, Commerce", Taki's Magazine is an independent online clearinghouse for independent thought. The old man running the show, Taki Theodoracopulos, is a well traveled writer and thinker who enters the comments section of his own site periodically. The articles are for those who enjoy contrarian and independent thought, although the comments get bogged down with internecine feuds a little too often.
Lew Rockwell - - "The Best Read Libertarian Website in the World". Anti-State, Anti-War, Pro-Market, Lew Rockwell's site is the bane of the Establishment. Its partner, mises.org, confound mainline opinion and thought, mainly because of its anti war stance. Rockwell and his writers have helped boost the Ron Paul revolution, as well as shown the Left how to actually be anti war. If you needed a primer on what the libertarian / anarchist philosophy is all about, Rockwell's site is a great place to start. The LRC blog is particularly good at keeping up with current affairs, as well as showing you that "it isn't Left vs. Right, it's the State vs. you". I use the LRC blog whenever I want to try to wake up an indoctrinated young person.
Corbett Report - - "Open Source Intelligence News". James Corbett does what every good journalist should do, provides documentation, analysis and logical thought to today's news. He provides videos, podcasts and articles that show you all the bad things going on in the world that the MSM cannot because of their corporate puppet strings. The amount of media is astonishing, and the secondary affiliates (Tragedy and Hope Communications, Global Research, Media Monarchy) provide further useful information. What can one man do? James Corbett shows you on his site.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Detroit is Bankrupt and the MSM Cannot Handle It
The largest municipal bankruptcy case in American history just happened. The City of Detroit is bankrupt. Eventually, facts and math catch up to the happy, statist, government public school drivel that is peddled today. If you spend more than you take in, constantly tax the population, make promises of free stuff to parasites so they will vote for you - the working person and solid citizen will leave. Normal people will take only so much before they'll say enough - even in today's America, which is addled by idiotic TV shows and prescription drugs.
The interesting thing in all of this is the Mainstream Media reaction. Detroit is a city totally controlled by the Democratic party. As the Mainstream Denialist press is not allowed to criticize Democrats, the blame came is particularly fascinating. Jim Goad nails it here:
"MSNBC’s Liberal Denial Machine is blaming Republicans for the city’s downfall, despite the fact that Detroit hasn’t had a Republican mayor since 1962 and there has been only one Republican on the Detroit City Council during the last four decades. Still, despite such uncomfortable facts, Melissa Harris-Perry blamed the city’s woes on small government and “what Republicans would impose on us.” The jowly sack of flatulence known as Ed Schultz blamed Detroit’s decline on “a lot of Republican policies."
Goad goes a little far by pinning much of the blame on demographics. I think he's somewhat off base with that, but his grasp of how implausible and downright stupid the Dead Tree Media is is perfect. I have the same thing in my district. Where I work there are almost no white folks left, so 'white flight', an easy and sloppy concept to blame for the downfall of the schools can't be used. Now it is 'bright flight' that is often blamed - although one of the higher ups stated last year that he was 'tired' of hearing it and it was no longer a problem. This is wholly false, as our bright and well meaning families are running for the border, but facts are simply not to be considered.
Fred Reed explains why the Legacy Media is so out of touch, in an aptly named piece called "MicroBrew Journalism":
"But they (the MSM) have never worked night shift in a gas station on a lonely road in Tennessee, shopped at Walmart, been in the same room with a firearm much less hunted deer, or been more than twenty feet from a flush toilet. - - The dinosaur media lose out to the internet because they not only don´t want to but can´t deal with things that most stir the populace: race, wars, guns, abortion, separation of church and state, evolution, immigration. The velvet noose of political correctness ensures that only Appropriate Thought can be published. Those who deviate will be fired."
Only in a country where the educational system is imploding (see here for proof) could such idiotic nonsense actually pass muster and see the light of day. I guess we're at the point where mainstream outlets are so hamstrung by political correctness and the mandate from their corporate overlords that they keep the American Masses sniping at each other that material like this comes out of a once proud fourth estate. The Trayvon Martin tragedy is exhibit A, as they worked overtime to start a race war. Too bad the MSM narrative was so far removed from reality (look at the trial transcripts vs. what the Media told you) that my feeling is that if it were 1993 instead of 2013 it would have worked:
The interesting thing in all of this is the Mainstream Media reaction. Detroit is a city totally controlled by the Democratic party. As the Mainstream Denialist press is not allowed to criticize Democrats, the blame came is particularly fascinating. Jim Goad nails it here:
"MSNBC’s Liberal Denial Machine is blaming Republicans for the city’s downfall, despite the fact that Detroit hasn’t had a Republican mayor since 1962 and there has been only one Republican on the Detroit City Council during the last four decades. Still, despite such uncomfortable facts, Melissa Harris-Perry blamed the city’s woes on small government and “what Republicans would impose on us.” The jowly sack of flatulence known as Ed Schultz blamed Detroit’s decline on “a lot of Republican policies."
Goad goes a little far by pinning much of the blame on demographics. I think he's somewhat off base with that, but his grasp of how implausible and downright stupid the Dead Tree Media is is perfect. I have the same thing in my district. Where I work there are almost no white folks left, so 'white flight', an easy and sloppy concept to blame for the downfall of the schools can't be used. Now it is 'bright flight' that is often blamed - although one of the higher ups stated last year that he was 'tired' of hearing it and it was no longer a problem. This is wholly false, as our bright and well meaning families are running for the border, but facts are simply not to be considered.
Fred Reed explains why the Legacy Media is so out of touch, in an aptly named piece called "MicroBrew Journalism":
"But they (the MSM) have never worked night shift in a gas station on a lonely road in Tennessee, shopped at Walmart, been in the same room with a firearm much less hunted deer, or been more than twenty feet from a flush toilet. - - The dinosaur media lose out to the internet because they not only don´t want to but can´t deal with things that most stir the populace: race, wars, guns, abortion, separation of church and state, evolution, immigration. The velvet noose of political correctness ensures that only Appropriate Thought can be published. Those who deviate will be fired."
Only in a country where the educational system is imploding (see here for proof) could such idiotic nonsense actually pass muster and see the light of day. I guess we're at the point where mainstream outlets are so hamstrung by political correctness and the mandate from their corporate overlords that they keep the American Masses sniping at each other that material like this comes out of a once proud fourth estate. The Trayvon Martin tragedy is exhibit A, as they worked overtime to start a race war. Too bad the MSM narrative was so far removed from reality (look at the trial transcripts vs. what the Media told you) that my feeling is that if it were 1993 instead of 2013 it would have worked:
Monday, July 8, 2013
What You Learn About the Government in School is Propaganda
I've been listening to a lot of Tom Woods' work on my iPod recently. Even though I've heard this talk before, it still sounds fresh. After hearing an historical talk like this, I am saddened and amazed at how abysmal our system has become. The things we learn about US history are simply wrong. The disturbing part is that because it is "in the textbook" or "everybody knows that" - the adults in the room do no research, and, even more disturbing, refuse to look into the things they are teaching the young people in their charge.
The reason why the lecture below is called "Why You've Never Heard of the Great Depression of 1920" is because we are taught that FDR 'saved' the country from economic ruin by way of the New Deal. The opposite is true, however. The Great Depression was the first time that the government decided to roll up its sleeves and "do something". Even a surface analysis of this topic doesn't look favorably on FDR and the New Deal. If Roosevelt 'saved' the country and cured it from depression - why did it take so long? There were other depressions, 1920 to be exact, and the government of the US did nothing. As a matter of fact, the government LOWERED spending and taxes. The Federal Reserve did nothing, as it was forbidden to participate in open market operations until 1922. This chapter of history is simply forgotten - down the memory hole. No one mentions it, and if they do, they gloss over the topic because it goes against the shibboleths that 'everybody knows'. Why is this so? Because it doesn't fit the paradigm of 'The State can solve all things, and if it weren't for our Wise Overlords, we'd be dirty and miserable - victims of the Free Market'. In the old days, this would be called propaganda - now it's called Public Relations. Nothing Woods brings up is unable to be found with a little digging. As an experiment, tell an adult that you think that FDR saved the country from nothing and he should have let the market solve the problem. You'll find an angry and frustrated person in front of you.
Basically, what your local public school has become is a mouthpiece for government propaganda. An event like the depression of 1920, the lack of action by Pres. Harding and the federal government simply cannot be discussed as it won't make you a wide eyed drone worshipping at the feet of The State. Anything relating to the free market, free market capitalism, rugged individualism or the gold standard is not taught, or openly mocked. Woods displays this in this easily researched speech. Your local schoolteacher cannot understand these events, as the textbook doesn't cover them adequately, if at all. Anything that bodes favorably on the government and State Worship is pushed, and Real History and the strong individuals who created it are maligned.
Rather than stay stuck in the comic book version of history you had in 7th grade, learn from one of the great voices of the Libertarian Movement.
The reason why the lecture below is called "Why You've Never Heard of the Great Depression of 1920" is because we are taught that FDR 'saved' the country from economic ruin by way of the New Deal. The opposite is true, however. The Great Depression was the first time that the government decided to roll up its sleeves and "do something". Even a surface analysis of this topic doesn't look favorably on FDR and the New Deal. If Roosevelt 'saved' the country and cured it from depression - why did it take so long? There were other depressions, 1920 to be exact, and the government of the US did nothing. As a matter of fact, the government LOWERED spending and taxes. The Federal Reserve did nothing, as it was forbidden to participate in open market operations until 1922. This chapter of history is simply forgotten - down the memory hole. No one mentions it, and if they do, they gloss over the topic because it goes against the shibboleths that 'everybody knows'. Why is this so? Because it doesn't fit the paradigm of 'The State can solve all things, and if it weren't for our Wise Overlords, we'd be dirty and miserable - victims of the Free Market'. In the old days, this would be called propaganda - now it's called Public Relations. Nothing Woods brings up is unable to be found with a little digging. As an experiment, tell an adult that you think that FDR saved the country from nothing and he should have let the market solve the problem. You'll find an angry and frustrated person in front of you.
Basically, what your local public school has become is a mouthpiece for government propaganda. An event like the depression of 1920, the lack of action by Pres. Harding and the federal government simply cannot be discussed as it won't make you a wide eyed drone worshipping at the feet of The State. Anything relating to the free market, free market capitalism, rugged individualism or the gold standard is not taught, or openly mocked. Woods displays this in this easily researched speech. Your local schoolteacher cannot understand these events, as the textbook doesn't cover them adequately, if at all. Anything that bodes favorably on the government and State Worship is pushed, and Real History and the strong individuals who created it are maligned.
Rather than stay stuck in the comic book version of history you had in 7th grade, learn from one of the great voices of the Libertarian Movement.
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