OK, folks, I'm off to the Motor City for the next few days, so blogging will be light. Here are some important news stories to keep you busy while I'm away.
- Exxon Mobil only earned 10.36 Billion Dollars between April and June. $1,318 per second. How will their executives ever survive?
- Inexplicably, "The Thong Song" artist Sisqo has been far more popular than *NSync star and would-be astronaut Lance Bass, according to Google. Pop culture experts predict that these stats might change very soon, however.
- In a tribute to the departure of testicularly challenged cyclist Lance Armstrong from the Tour de France, testosterone is apparently now a banned substance.
- And finally, science can now answer that burning question -- why did prehistoric flying reptiles have a huge boner on their foreheads? Turns out that, yes, it's just a giant aphrodisiac.
It feels a bit strange to be in the world's most affluent, most powerful nation, and in the state with the most vibrant economy, and then to see headlines in the paper about not having enough electricity.
Of course, this speaks to the overuse of electricity by those of us lucky enough to enjoy air conditioning and electric fans, and those of us who spend a lot of time using computers at home. But for many, especially the very young and very old, air conditioning isn't a luxury in extreme heat -- it's a necessity. The current heat wave in California has already taken at least 53 people, and any blackouts (rolling or otherwise) will add to that tragic number.
I had my first brush with a major blackout in 2003, when I was in Detroit during the great summer blackout which affected a giant swath of North America from New York City to Toronto all the way to Ohio and much of southern Michigan. At the time, President Bush and his Republican allies in Congress promised to investigate the causes of the blackout and then work to upgrade the nation's electricity system.
Several years later, we're still seeing all sorts of problems with our nation's electrical system -- including an unexplained blackout that dragged on for eight days in New York City last week, and then there is all the trouble here in California.
The story in California is quite complicated thanks to the efforts of Governor Pete Wilson, who deregulated and privatized the electrical system in the 1990's. And then, shortly after they were given access to the grid, Enron ran it into the ground. The political fallout of this unmitigated disaster, caused directly by Enron's corporate malfeasance, continues today.
Since Governor Schwarzenegger came to office, he has largely left the power industry to do as it pleases, rather than take definitive action to avoid blackouts. Of course, this is a highly complex problem with important environmental concerns as well as economic pitfalls to avoid, but Schwarzenegger's energy policy, or lack thereof, was summed up by Phil Angelides the other day: "Pray for mild weather."
While conservation is necessary, Angelides and the former general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Power and Water have said that Schwarzenegger's last-minute pleas for conservation are a sign of a "failure" of policy. Angelides said that if he were governor, he would work to either force corporations to build more electicity capacity, or he'd use public money to provide for the security of our state's electrical power supply.
Once again, it seems that the Republican philosophy of allowing big business to do whatever it pleases -- even with vital public resources like electricity -- has been proven a failure. Phil Angelides has a better plan.
From the Courage Campaign
This is a fantastic year for Detroit sports, as the Pistons and the Red Wings both won more games than any other team in their leagues this season -- and now the formerly hapless Tigers have the best record in Major League Baseball.
Last week, the Tigers defeated their division rival (and defending World Series Champion) Chicago White Sox for the second time in a row. Taking the three-game series from Chicago solidified the Tigers' lead in the AL Central up to 5 games. The Tigers are unlucky enough to have the team with the second-best record in all of baseball right on their heels in the standings. But the way the Tigers have been playing confirms that the White Sox are the ones chasing the Tigers, not the other way around as many analysts would have it.
The Tigers -- like the Pistons before them -- have been sorely overlooked for way too long. The surplus of young talent that has been developing on the Tigers squad was clearly ready for a breakout season this year. Even as the Tigers have begun to fulfill their potential in very predictable ways, most in the baseball world keep waiting for the other shoe to drop -- as though this team were the Paper Tigers.
Look -- the Tigers are clearly for real and are a member of the baseball elite. Yes, their league-leading pitching staff has a great pitcher's park at home -- but does that explain why the Tigers have the league's best road record? Yes, Chris Shelton doesn't hit three home runs every game any more, but does that explain why the Tigers are in the top 10 in hits and home runs (all while hitting at a great pitcher's park)? Yes, the Tigers have an easier schedule than the Sox, but does that explain why the Tigers look poised to take the season series from the world champs?
Detroit is a great sports town, and I, for one, am excited about the possibility of rooting for yet another team to have the best record in the league, only to get knocked out by an inferior team in the playoffs.
Just the other day, there was an omen of things to come in the postseason for the Tigers. When Carlos Guillen hit a grand slam homerun to put the Tigers ahead for good, on his way around the bases, he cast a glance toward the south -- in the general direction of Miami. He was immediately whistled for a foul on Dwayne Wade, who was sitting at home watching the game on ESPN. The Miami Heat star drained the two free throws.
Last week, the Tigers defeated their division rival (and defending World Series Champion) Chicago White Sox for the second time in a row. Taking the three-game series from Chicago solidified the Tigers' lead in the AL Central up to 5 games. The Tigers are unlucky enough to have the team with the second-best record in all of baseball right on their heels in the standings. But the way the Tigers have been playing confirms that the White Sox are the ones chasing the Tigers, not the other way around as many analysts would have it.
The Tigers -- like the Pistons before them -- have been sorely overlooked for way too long. The surplus of young talent that has been developing on the Tigers squad was clearly ready for a breakout season this year. Even as the Tigers have begun to fulfill their potential in very predictable ways, most in the baseball world keep waiting for the other shoe to drop -- as though this team were the Paper Tigers.
Look -- the Tigers are clearly for real and are a member of the baseball elite. Yes, their league-leading pitching staff has a great pitcher's park at home -- but does that explain why the Tigers have the league's best road record? Yes, Chris Shelton doesn't hit three home runs every game any more, but does that explain why the Tigers are in the top 10 in hits and home runs (all while hitting at a great pitcher's park)? Yes, the Tigers have an easier schedule than the Sox, but does that explain why the Tigers look poised to take the season series from the world champs?
Detroit is a great sports town, and I, for one, am excited about the possibility of rooting for yet another team to have the best record in the league, only to get knocked out by an inferior team in the playoffs.
Just the other day, there was an omen of things to come in the postseason for the Tigers. When Carlos Guillen hit a grand slam homerun to put the Tigers ahead for good, on his way around the bases, he cast a glance toward the south -- in the general direction of Miami. He was immediately whistled for a foul on Dwayne Wade, who was sitting at home watching the game on ESPN. The Miami Heat star drained the two free throws.
The Republican Party has been in control of the US Congress and White House for more than five full years, and they have yet to pass a new federal minimum wage.
Study after study confirms the obvious: the rich are getting richer, and the working poor can't seem to get out of poverty no matter how hard they work. The federal minimum wage hasn't changed from its current level ($5.15 per hour) since 1997.
Somehow, instead of prioritizing poverty, the Republican leadership has decided that the Congress should work on other pressing crises, like banning gay marriage and a blocking lawsuits about the wording of the Pledge of Allegiance.
In recent weeks, the Republican philosophy of giving government handouts to the rich was laid bare, as White House staffers at the top of the pay scale got a $4,000 raise. White House workers at the bottom of the pay scale (administrative assistants, for example) did not get a raise at all, showing once again that Republicans have no problem making the rich richer.
The Republicans have blocked Democratic efforts to bring a new minimum wage to the floor five times in the past month. The working poor, meanwhile, have wages so low that they can't even afford to rent, much less buy, a home.
House Democrats have a much different agenda than the Republicans who currently are in control. That's why the working poor in America have begun to realize that it's time for a change in Washington. It's time to get rid of Republican legislators who refuse to listen to the voice of the people while they work day and night on a radical right-wing agenda.
From the Courage Campaign
Study after study confirms the obvious: the rich are getting richer, and the working poor can't seem to get out of poverty no matter how hard they work. The federal minimum wage hasn't changed from its current level ($5.15 per hour) since 1997.
Somehow, instead of prioritizing poverty, the Republican leadership has decided that the Congress should work on other pressing crises, like banning gay marriage and a blocking lawsuits about the wording of the Pledge of Allegiance.
In recent weeks, the Republican philosophy of giving government handouts to the rich was laid bare, as White House staffers at the top of the pay scale got a $4,000 raise. White House workers at the bottom of the pay scale (administrative assistants, for example) did not get a raise at all, showing once again that Republicans have no problem making the rich richer.
The Republicans have blocked Democratic efforts to bring a new minimum wage to the floor five times in the past month. The working poor, meanwhile, have wages so low that they can't even afford to rent, much less buy, a home.
House Democrats have a much different agenda than the Republicans who currently are in control. That's why the working poor in America have begun to realize that it's time for a change in Washington. It's time to get rid of Republican legislators who refuse to listen to the voice of the people while they work day and night on a radical right-wing agenda.
From the Courage Campaign
Courage Campaign just spent the weekend at Democracy Fest, a fantastic gathering of activists from around the country, there to represent the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party. The conference featured workshops on effective campaigning, speakers discussing important progressive issues, and a rousing keynote from Howard Dean. I was surprised by the very strong group of people at DemFest who expressed grave concerns about the counting of ballots.
The issue of election reform, of course, picked up a lot of steam after the Flordia fiasco in the 2000 Presidential race. More concerns have been raised after the outright disgusting job that Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell did at running his state's 2004 Presidential election. These egregious elections -- in which partisian, Republican officials apparently used all their power to disenfranchise Democratic voters -- seem to have started a wave of discontent among many Democratic activists.
The latest chapter in the vote counting saga happened in California's 50th Congressional district (CA-50), where Democrat Francine Busby recently lost a special election to fill the seat in the House of Representatives vacated by convited felon Republican Duke Cunningham.
There are many reasons why Busby might have lost this closely-watched race. First, the CA-50 has been solidly Republican for years. And the Republicans spent millions of dollars and waged a massive ground effort to protect the seat. But many people at DemFest have what they consider to be the most likely explanation for Busby's relatively narrow margin of defeat -- election fraud.
Indeed, this vocal group seems to think that election fraud explains all the problems the Democrats have been having since 2000. They're not counting the votes, see. The electronic voting machines are the problem. Count the votes!
Yes, there are problems with the way that elections are run in the United States. Yes, there is some evidence of specific problems in many races, including the Ohio election.
Indeed, I was one of the first (and most important) bloggers on this issue, when I called for a new, independent federal and state election commission to oversee elections to replace rank partisians like Blackwell and Harris. So, activism on the issue of election reform is important and growing -- sign up with FairVote to join the ranks.
But when electoral reform is described as "the only issue," that's when this idea becomes extremely dangerous. Because what that really means is that there's no need to vote. No need to get out the vote. That means there's no need to build the Democratic party infrastructure. No need to even field a candidate, because "they'll" just steal the election anyway. This is defeatism at its worst. No matter what election system is put in place, there's always going to be room for suspicion of fraud. We'll fight it, of course, but it's not the "only issue."
Francine Busby lost despite a vigorous and inspiring campaign -- a campaign that continues, as the seat will be up again on the November ballot. And even though she lost the election, she won a different and important battle, though, because she has forced the Republicans to spend oodles of money on a seat they previously took for granted. The Republicans won't have to spend any money in the CA-50, and there's no chance of getting Francine elected, though, unless we continue the hard work -- knock on doors, make phone calls, and get out the Democratic vote by any means necessary. Bleating on about "counting the votes" won't help Francine -- it'll ensure her loss.
From the Courage Campaign
The issue of election reform, of course, picked up a lot of steam after the Flordia fiasco in the 2000 Presidential race. More concerns have been raised after the outright disgusting job that Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell did at running his state's 2004 Presidential election. These egregious elections -- in which partisian, Republican officials apparently used all their power to disenfranchise Democratic voters -- seem to have started a wave of discontent among many Democratic activists.
The latest chapter in the vote counting saga happened in California's 50th Congressional district (CA-50), where Democrat Francine Busby recently lost a special election to fill the seat in the House of Representatives vacated by convited felon Republican Duke Cunningham.
There are many reasons why Busby might have lost this closely-watched race. First, the CA-50 has been solidly Republican for years. And the Republicans spent millions of dollars and waged a massive ground effort to protect the seat. But many people at DemFest have what they consider to be the most likely explanation for Busby's relatively narrow margin of defeat -- election fraud.
Indeed, this vocal group seems to think that election fraud explains all the problems the Democrats have been having since 2000. They're not counting the votes, see. The electronic voting machines are the problem. Count the votes!
Yes, there are problems with the way that elections are run in the United States. Yes, there is some evidence of specific problems in many races, including the Ohio election.
Indeed, I was one of the first (and most important) bloggers on this issue, when I called for a new, independent federal and state election commission to oversee elections to replace rank partisians like Blackwell and Harris. So, activism on the issue of election reform is important and growing -- sign up with FairVote to join the ranks.
But when electoral reform is described as "the only issue," that's when this idea becomes extremely dangerous. Because what that really means is that there's no need to vote. No need to get out the vote. That means there's no need to build the Democratic party infrastructure. No need to even field a candidate, because "they'll" just steal the election anyway. This is defeatism at its worst. No matter what election system is put in place, there's always going to be room for suspicion of fraud. We'll fight it, of course, but it's not the "only issue."
Francine Busby lost despite a vigorous and inspiring campaign -- a campaign that continues, as the seat will be up again on the November ballot. And even though she lost the election, she won a different and important battle, though, because she has forced the Republicans to spend oodles of money on a seat they previously took for granted. The Republicans won't have to spend any money in the CA-50, and there's no chance of getting Francine elected, though, unless we continue the hard work -- knock on doors, make phone calls, and get out the Democratic vote by any means necessary. Bleating on about "counting the votes" won't help Francine -- it'll ensure her loss.
From the Courage Campaign
The recent Presidential election in Mexico looks a lot like the Presidential election in the United States in 2000, according to many observers. In today's developments, the final outcome of the election -- which conservative candidate Felipe Calderon won by less than 1 percent of the 41 million votes cast, is now in the hands of vast teams of lawyers. It really does look like Florida in 2000, as the conservative victor seeks to prevent any recount of ballots, as demanded by the leftist challenger, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
One of the most apt comparisons between Mexico's 2006 election and the 2000 US Presidential election is the presence of an anti-establishmentarian spoiler for the left's best chance at winning real governmental power. In 2000, the US had Ralph Nader. In 2006, Mexico has Subcomandante Marcos of the Zapitistas.
Marcos is clearly far more anti-establishmentarian than Nader. Nader at least urged his followers to vote (albeit for an unrealistic 3rd party). Marcos has repeatedly urged his hundreds of thousands of followers not to vote at all. In recent weeks, Zapatistas have been marching under banners saying that the ballot box isn't large enough for their values.
The thinking behind this unending electoral boycott is that the Mexican system is inherently flawed, and only direct action -- not voting -- will bring any meaningful change for Mexico and the indigenous people that Marcos and his movement seek to represent.
I'm no expert on Mexican politics, and I have no great base of knowledge about the Zapitista movement, either. But it's clear that if Marcos had urged his large following to go to the polls and elect the most progressive presidential candidate seen in Mexico for more than a generation, we very well might have a different outcome today.
In good news, according to Fred Rosen of El Universal, a newspaper in Mexico City, Marcos has recently started to back down from his previously intractable anti-electoral politics position.
Rosen seems to agree with California activist Daraka Larimore-Hall, who wrote recently about how pointless it is to work to demobilize voters. Larimore-Hall acknowledged that many movements do not need to target the state through electoral politics, but:
Winning elections isn't everything. Building alternative social movements isn't everything. But these two projects aren't incompatible and in fact need one another if we're ever to acheive our boldest, simplest dreams: ending inequality and stopping injustice. We must find ways to bring social movement activists into the important realm of political activism, both in Mexico and in the United States as we look ahead to November and beyond.
One of the most apt comparisons between Mexico's 2006 election and the 2000 US Presidential election is the presence of an anti-establishmentarian spoiler for the left's best chance at winning real governmental power. In 2000, the US had Ralph Nader. In 2006, Mexico has Subcomandante Marcos of the Zapitistas.
Marcos is clearly far more anti-establishmentarian than Nader. Nader at least urged his followers to vote (albeit for an unrealistic 3rd party). Marcos has repeatedly urged his hundreds of thousands of followers not to vote at all. In recent weeks, Zapatistas have been marching under banners saying that the ballot box isn't large enough for their values.
The thinking behind this unending electoral boycott is that the Mexican system is inherently flawed, and only direct action -- not voting -- will bring any meaningful change for Mexico and the indigenous people that Marcos and his movement seek to represent.
I'm no expert on Mexican politics, and I have no great base of knowledge about the Zapitista movement, either. But it's clear that if Marcos had urged his large following to go to the polls and elect the most progressive presidential candidate seen in Mexico for more than a generation, we very well might have a different outcome today.
In good news, according to Fred Rosen of El Universal, a newspaper in Mexico City, Marcos has recently started to back down from his previously intractable anti-electoral politics position.
And now, having seen the sizable support for electoral participation not only among the groups he seeks to organize, but even among many pro-Zapatista activists, Marcos denies that the [his campaign] is urging any organized boycott of the polls.
Rosen seems to agree with California activist Daraka Larimore-Hall, who wrote recently about how pointless it is to work to demobilize voters. Larimore-Hall acknowledged that many movements do not need to target the state through electoral politics, but:
...for those movements which seek to rearrange material power, putting candidates into office and working to keep them accountable is bread and butter. Imagine a Civil Rights movement which decided that the vote was not important.
Good progressive electoral politics flows from social movement activism. Good social movement activism doesn’t stop at the halls of governance or ignore the ballot box. It’s that simple, folks.
Winning elections isn't everything. Building alternative social movements isn't everything. But these two projects aren't incompatible and in fact need one another if we're ever to acheive our boldest, simplest dreams: ending inequality and stopping injustice. We must find ways to bring social movement activists into the important realm of political activism, both in Mexico and in the United States as we look ahead to November and beyond.
More stuff about newspapers, as the Santa Barbara News Press is clearly destroying America.
The newspaper business here in Santa Barbara has become so dramatic that things have started to look like an episode of the old TV drama Santa Barbara. The unfolding drama reminds us of the importance of local, independent media, and thus the need to support network neutrality.
The abrupt resignation of every senior news editor and a longtime columnist at the Santa Barbara News-Press has attracted lots of national attention and a feature story in the newspaper trade mag Editor & Publisher. Both Editor & Publisher and the New York Times warn about the increasing influence of ultra-wealthy owners who seek to influence their newspapers. While corporate media ownership is clearly not always great, the News-Press story shows that individual ownership -- even by local residents -- is not the media panacea many have hoped it could be.
Basically, the News-Press drama unfolded something like this. In 2000, Wendy McCaw, a local reclusive billionaire, purchased the News-Press (which has a circulation of about 40,000 and is the oldest newspaper in southern California) from the New York Times Company. Soon after acquiring the paper, McCaw began exerting personal influence over the paper's editorial page, taking opinions editor Travis Armstrong under her wing. Armstrong has been particularly harsh to the progressive movement in Santa Barbara, often refusing to run stories or letters to the editor in support of affordable housing and the living wage.
Just a few weeks ago, owner McCaw surprised everyone by appointing Armstrong the acting publisher of the paper, a huge promotion which gave him control over both the editoral and news departments. Immediately, the editors at the newsroom felt as though the wall between the editorial staff and the news staff was crumbling as Armstrong began to insist on changes in news coverage.
Among the changes instituted by Armstrong was a prohibition on publishing street addresses in any news story. This came after local resident movie star Rob Lowe complained that his address was published in a story about controversy over plans for his new mansion. Additionally, Armstrong instructed the news staff that the title 'Ms.' is no longer used by the News-Press, and the prefix 'Miss' must now introduce unmarried women in news articles.
Pressure mounted, and the final chapter took place last week with the dramatic resignation of executive editor Jerry Roberts. Local alternative newspaper The Independent describes the scene here:
As the cataclysm at the News-Press shakes out, I'm reminded of the growing importance of independent media, and thus the growing importance of myself. Seriously, though, websites like www.sbindymedia.org, which allow local independent journalists to report without the need for billionaire owners, must be allowed to continue to grow. Unfortunately, as the drama in Santa Barbara plays out, a policial drama over the future of the internet is taking place in Washington, DC.
Network neutrality -- the principle that every internet website has an equal right to be accessed -- is a big part of how independent media works. This principle is under attack by big telecom companies and their Republican allies in Congress. They want to force individual websites -- like eriklove.com -- to pay for access to the internet.
The Democractic Party has adopted Network Neutrality as part of its platform. And our next governor, Phil Angelides, has made a strong statement in support of Net Neutrality. I, for one, am happy that newspapers have to compete against independent media (a.k.a. bloggers like me) on a level playing field.
Sign up at www.savetheinternet.com to help keep that level playing field for independent media intact.
From The Courage Campaign
UPDATE: July 19, 2006, 12:15PM -- A rally is scheduled tomorrow, 7/20, at noon, De La Guerra Plaza in Santa Barbara. The SB News Press staff will be out to speak about what the community can do to ensure journalistic integrity at our newspaper.
UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: July 25, 2006, 1:50PM -- www.savethenewspress.com
The newspaper business here in Santa Barbara has become so dramatic that things have started to look like an episode of the old TV drama Santa Barbara. The unfolding drama reminds us of the importance of local, independent media, and thus the need to support network neutrality.
The abrupt resignation of every senior news editor and a longtime columnist at the Santa Barbara News-Press has attracted lots of national attention and a feature story in the newspaper trade mag Editor & Publisher. Both Editor & Publisher and the New York Times warn about the increasing influence of ultra-wealthy owners who seek to influence their newspapers. While corporate media ownership is clearly not always great, the News-Press story shows that individual ownership -- even by local residents -- is not the media panacea many have hoped it could be.
Basically, the News-Press drama unfolded something like this. In 2000, Wendy McCaw, a local reclusive billionaire, purchased the News-Press (which has a circulation of about 40,000 and is the oldest newspaper in southern California) from the New York Times Company. Soon after acquiring the paper, McCaw began exerting personal influence over the paper's editorial page, taking opinions editor Travis Armstrong under her wing. Armstrong has been particularly harsh to the progressive movement in Santa Barbara, often refusing to run stories or letters to the editor in support of affordable housing and the living wage.
Just a few weeks ago, owner McCaw surprised everyone by appointing Armstrong the acting publisher of the paper, a huge promotion which gave him control over both the editoral and news departments. Immediately, the editors at the newsroom felt as though the wall between the editorial staff and the news staff was crumbling as Armstrong began to insist on changes in news coverage.
Among the changes instituted by Armstrong was a prohibition on publishing street addresses in any news story. This came after local resident movie star Rob Lowe complained that his address was published in a story about controversy over plans for his new mansion. Additionally, Armstrong instructed the news staff that the title 'Ms.' is no longer used by the News-Press, and the prefix 'Miss' must now introduce unmarried women in news articles.
Pressure mounted, and the final chapter took place last week with the dramatic resignation of executive editor Jerry Roberts. Local alternative newspaper The Independent describes the scene here:
"Jerry Roberts returned from a vacation... and turned in his resignation about 9 am. He was then escorted out of the News-Press building.... On the way out, tearful reporters and editors hugged Roberts and wished him well. As this happened, Travis Armstrong, Roberts’s nemesis at the News-Press, emerged from his office to make sure that Roberts left, reportedly saying something to the effect of, “Roberts you’ve got to go.” According to one report, Armstrong -- who[se] appointment as publisher of the News Press last Friday precipitated Roberts’ resignation -- clasped his hand around Roberts’ arm to help escort him from the building. This was greeted by a chorus of “F*** You, Travis!” from the News-Press employees bidding Roberts good bye. The chorus reportedly continued for some time...."
As the cataclysm at the News-Press shakes out, I'm reminded of the growing importance of independent media, and thus the growing importance of myself. Seriously, though, websites like www.sbindymedia.org, which allow local independent journalists to report without the need for billionaire owners, must be allowed to continue to grow. Unfortunately, as the drama in Santa Barbara plays out, a policial drama over the future of the internet is taking place in Washington, DC.
Network neutrality -- the principle that every internet website has an equal right to be accessed -- is a big part of how independent media works. This principle is under attack by big telecom companies and their Republican allies in Congress. They want to force individual websites -- like eriklove.com -- to pay for access to the internet.
The Democractic Party has adopted Network Neutrality as part of its platform. And our next governor, Phil Angelides, has made a strong statement in support of Net Neutrality. I, for one, am happy that newspapers have to compete against independent media (a.k.a. bloggers like me) on a level playing field.
Sign up at www.savetheinternet.com to help keep that level playing field for independent media intact.
From The Courage Campaign
UPDATE: July 19, 2006, 12:15PM -- A rally is scheduled tomorrow, 7/20, at noon, De La Guerra Plaza in Santa Barbara. The SB News Press staff will be out to speak about what the community can do to ensure journalistic integrity at our newspaper.
UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: July 25, 2006, 1:50PM -- www.savethenewspress.com
According to some people, the fundamental purpose of the news media in a democracy is to report on the doings of government, particularly unelected bureaucracies like the CIA and NSA.
But here's the thing. The Republicans are completely right when they beat up on traitorous media organizations like the New York Times. Brittany Spears is right when she says we should just trust our President. So, it's high time to shut down all independent newspapers, and, just so we have something to read when we're in the bathroom, let's replace the Times with a Republican newsletter.
The latest reason Republicans have to beat up on NYT, is the story by Eric Lichtblau and James Risen about the questionable methods by which the administration monitored worldwide financial transactions in an effort to track funding of groups the government considers terrorist.
Although most experts on terrorist groups say that the article did not have any information that the terrorists didn't already know, the decision by the editors to run the story still led to a massive, coordinated tidal wave of criticism from Republicans. Saying that the article helped the terrorists, President Bush and Vice President Cheney both singled out the New York Times for blithering criticism. The House of Representatives, on party lines, actually passed a resolution condemning news organizations. Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky insisted that the NY Times get investigated for treason.
The Times' public editor put up a weak defense this week, saying that the Times did nothing to harm national security while carrying out their duty to inform the public. But this is clearly wrong.
The independent media are going to get us all killed. This is a time of war. We don't need to know that the Republicans wanted to tap American phones before 9/11. We don't need to know that Schwarzenegger's Homeland Security office even exists, much less that they collected information on anti-war protest groups. We don't need to know the names of the US servicepeople who have died in the line of duty in Iraq. We don't need to know that the Supreme Court ruled against the Republican plan to keep people at Guantanamo Bay indefinitely.
Basically, we don't need an independent media. Obviously, Brittany Spears and our President are both right. It's the media that's hurting America, not the Republicans.
From The Courage Campaign
But here's the thing. The Republicans are completely right when they beat up on traitorous media organizations like the New York Times. Brittany Spears is right when she says we should just trust our President. So, it's high time to shut down all independent newspapers, and, just so we have something to read when we're in the bathroom, let's replace the Times with a Republican newsletter.
The latest reason Republicans have to beat up on NYT, is the story by Eric Lichtblau and James Risen about the questionable methods by which the administration monitored worldwide financial transactions in an effort to track funding of groups the government considers terrorist.
Although most experts on terrorist groups say that the article did not have any information that the terrorists didn't already know, the decision by the editors to run the story still led to a massive, coordinated tidal wave of criticism from Republicans. Saying that the article helped the terrorists, President Bush and Vice President Cheney both singled out the New York Times for blithering criticism. The House of Representatives, on party lines, actually passed a resolution condemning news organizations. Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky insisted that the NY Times get investigated for treason.
The Times' public editor put up a weak defense this week, saying that the Times did nothing to harm national security while carrying out their duty to inform the public. But this is clearly wrong.
The independent media are going to get us all killed. This is a time of war. We don't need to know that the Republicans wanted to tap American phones before 9/11. We don't need to know that Schwarzenegger's Homeland Security office even exists, much less that they collected information on anti-war protest groups. We don't need to know the names of the US servicepeople who have died in the line of duty in Iraq. We don't need to know that the Supreme Court ruled against the Republican plan to keep people at Guantanamo Bay indefinitely.
Basically, we don't need an independent media. Obviously, Brittany Spears and our President are both right. It's the media that's hurting America, not the Republicans.
From The Courage Campaign
Sorry, but how did crack cocaine get into the shuttle's foam insulation?
The damned CIA must have planted that stuff.
I knew the space program was in trouble, but I had no idea the astronauts have gotten this desparate. Wow.
I just hope they don't find a fifth in the cockpit.
Who's flying this thing, Northwest Airlines?
Can't NASA afford regular cocaine?
They write themselves, folks.
The damned CIA must have planted that stuff.
I knew the space program was in trouble, but I had no idea the astronauts have gotten this desparate. Wow.
I just hope they don't find a fifth in the cockpit.
Who's flying this thing, Northwest Airlines?
Can't NASA afford regular cocaine?
They write themselves, folks.
