Readers' Comments

  • Republicans 'Outorganized and Outthought' Democrats   19 years 22 weeks ago
    Lying and cheating helped Republicans as well
    False and hurtful material such as the Swift Boat crap and the flip-flop accusations and the purple heart bandaids clearly hurt Kerry and "helped" Shrub. Even worse was the second stealing of a national election. I don't know if people were paid, but I believe that, just as in the Ukraine, the exit polls in six states were not wrong, the votes were stolen.
  • Milloy Blames Environmentalists First   19 years 23 weeks ago
    WSJ also uses tsunami to bash environmentalists
    In addition to Milloy, several other authors misrepresent the article in The Independent to wrongfully bash environmentalists. These include the Wall Street Journal and a press release by global-change skeptic Pat Michaels. Links to these are on my blog and blog comments below. Stephen C. Nodvin, Ph.D. http://blog.nodvin.net/index.php?p=66
  • Norquist Dreams of Twelve More Years   19 years 23 weeks ago
    Free Trade?
    If this spawn of satan had his way there would be no middle class in America. I don't know how anyone could possibly vote for these proposals when the net effect is to ship your job and to China. As a union member I am absolutely appalled by the efforts of the right wing to muzzle workers.
  • Thanks for the (False) Memories: the 2004 Falsies Awards   19 years 23 weeks ago
    By the way
    Fantastic idea, Laura. It's quite amazing to see it all pulled together in one list.
  • Thanks for the (False) Memories: the 2004 Falsies Awards   19 years 23 weeks ago
    Journo-Lobbying
    Sven, you are so right. I plan on drawing more attention to the "New New Journalism" in the months to come.
  • Norquist Dreams of Twelve More Years   19 years 23 weeks ago
    Less Intrusive!?!
    I do not consider legislators between my legs, no recognition of a fundamental right to privacy, denial of equal protection under the law to homosexuals, and expanded on the job drug testing to be less intrusive in any way, shape, or form. The only way the Neocons will get another 8 years after Bush is by the same way we got Bush in the first place, electoral fraud and paperless, non-accountable electronic voting, something else Democrats, or more correctly, Republicrats, by and large don't seemed overly concerned about.
  • The Biggest Media Story of the Year   19 years 23 weeks ago
    The Biggest Story of the Year
    INDEED – more so than the tsunami catastrophy (with all due respect to all that suffered). Why? Because that story, again, a man made catastrophe which mankind obviously is unwilling to avoid. Another bitter eye-opener, which got the rest of the world on their toes in view of the magnitude of corruption, reckless manipulation and devellish deception all under the arrogant umbrella of smiley George W. Have another “good” four years? Something you would want to wish for your worst enemy. containa.com
  • Thanks for the (False) Memories: the 2004 Falsies Awards   19 years 23 weeks ago
    great idea!
    The 2004 Falsies Awards is a brilliant idea! The only problem is that these Orwellian distortions (War is Peace) seem to multiply exponentially -- how are you going to keep up? By the next election, it will off the chart! I'm making a donation asap.
  • Thanks for the (False) Memories: the 2004 Falsies Awards   19 years 23 weeks ago
    Journo-Lobbying
    I don't know if it's officially eligible for the 2004 awards, but since this is the inaugural I'd like to give a shout out to James "New New Journalism" Glassman:" The articles on Tech Central Station address a broad range of issues, some of concern to its sponsors, many not. And most of the site's authors are no doubt merely voicing opinions they have already reached. But time and time again, TCS's coverage of particular issues has had the appearance of a well-aimed P.R. blitz. After ExxonMobil became a sponsor, for instance, the site published a flurry of content attacking both the Kyoto accord to limit greenhouse gasses and the science of global warming--which happen to be among Exxon-Mobil's chief policy concerns in Washington. Also to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for tilling new ground in the art spreading fertilizer.
  • White House Astroturf For Social Security Phase Out   19 years 24 weeks ago
    Crank up the BS machine
    It is becoming clear that the neo-cons have made priority one, the destruction of the most successful government program ever devised. Given that, I fully expect the issue to become clouded with the same manner and volume of LIES and distortions that preceeded the Iraq war. They are trying to define the projected date at which benefit payments exceeds collections (2018) as the point at which the "progam will be bankrupt". This is false. With no changes, the program is solvent until about 2050, and can easily be made solvent forever with minor changes. Nevertheless, George and his boys will do their best to convince people that Social Security will not be there for them and is not a viable progam. The fact that so many Americans actually beleive that Saddam planned the 9/11 attacks and had WMD, is testimony to the power of LIES in the right wing echo chamber. They will use them when it suits their agenda, and this is most certainly such a case. TRUTH TO POWER! TD
  • A Selected Sample of Iraqi Voices   19 years 24 weeks ago
    Voices of Iraq
    I watched "Voices of Iraq," which was distributed by and through Netflix-- and recommended by Netflix. The Netflix symbol was even in the corner of the menu! It was released October 30, and the footage covers the war into October. The film is supposedly an indy production filmed by 150 digital camcorders circulated through Iraq, with ordinary Iraqis taking the footage. Sounds like a very compelling grassroots project. It starts out with a few critical comments on the Americans and Abu Ghraib, and ends up with the Iraqis as the happiest people on earth since they have been "liberated." The U.S. occupation forces have by then completely disappeared from the film. It was the slickest pro-occupation propaganda piece I've ever seen; it even took me in at first.  But then I figured who paid for the high-quality cameras? (150 x $2000 = $300,000) Why are many Iraqis speaking in English? Why are they only supporting the interim "government"?  Why do they call all opponents terrorists?  Why are so many speakers living in comfortable elite homes? Why do the filmmakers display U.S. headlines critical of the war and then try to disprove them?  Who is the guy off camera speaking in English? How did the ordinary citizens film top officials including the Iraqi "president"? If they are just Iraqis taking home movies, where did they get the insurgent video footage and footage of Baathist atrocities? The project website is http://www.VoicesOfIraq.com It looks like some critics have been wondering about and researching Army contracts and PR firm connections to the film: http://cryptome.org/voi-who.htm If you get this video through Netflix, comment on what you thought-- many others have--and ASK QUESTIONS as to Netflix's direct marketing role. I'm sure this film was developed to prepare Americans for the Iraqi P.R. election (see Edward Herman's book on "Demonstration Elections"), so we will hear more about it leading up to January 30. Dr. Zoltan Grossman Assistant Professor of Geography University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire P.O. Box 4004 Eau Claire WI 54703 (715) 836-4471 grossmzc@uwec.edu http://www.uwec.edu/grossmzc http://www.uwec.edu/grossmzc/peace.html
  • White House Astroturf For Social Security Phase Out   19 years 24 weeks ago
    Social Security Reform
    I would like to present this worst case senerio of the risks associated with the Social Security Reform plan. One problem I see is the looting of our Treasury. What if a very large number of Social Secruity investors had put their moneys into the likes of Enron, World Com, etc. I see the US Treasury forced to bail out these companies to save the Social Security investors. Effectively looting the treasury. Is this a likely senerio? Somebody stop "King George" before he creates more problems for us all.
  • White House Astroturf For Social Security Phase Out   19 years 24 weeks ago
    social security
    I'd like to direct my reply to Larry - who sounds real confused and real republican. Social security is and has been a very successful and safe program for many years and benefited many Americans. Rich & poor. You commented that you wished you had been able to handle "your" money and how unfair it is for younger workers to have to pay for others. I don't know many 25 yr olds who are real good at saving and planning however I'm willing to grant that when you were that age you were wise beyond your years and capable of saving.You would have invested your money in the stock market or perhaps bonds or real estate and been very displined about it because you're a real smart guy. You're not only smart - you're lucky - you don't have your money in Savings & Loans, Enron - etc. No real estate bubbles for you. The bond market feeds you a steady stream of dividends. After 35 years you're ready to retire, rich. What a wonderful life - but how about the rest of the population? Those that aren't so savvy? Or educated? Or disciplined? Or just lucky? The point of "social security" was to prevent the utter poverty and terror of starvation and deprivation that had occured in the 1920's and 30's. It is apparent that, you, Larry have never been poor or needy. As for younger workers feeling resentment about the compact made with their parents and grandparents generation - they have more opportunities now to invest in IRA's etc. and the monies that presently accumulate in Social Security will be a safety net for them in the future. There are no guarantees on Wall Street and the consequences of fraud and fees are all too prevalent. Social Security does not need reform - at least not the way this administration wants to do it - but an adjustment of the actuary formulas used for benefits. I hope that young and old Americans will recognize that reform in this instance means the undermining of their collective futures and that they will insist and fight this outright theft of "their" money. I hope you , Larry have done well and at 60 yrs old don't need social security - just remember you don't have to take it. Sincerely, barnmonkey2/12/21/04
  • White House Astroturf For Social Security Phase Out   19 years 25 weeks ago
    Social Security
    When I was 25 and thought SS was an investment, I wished I could have more say in the handling of the money so I could generate a better return. Now that I'm 60 and realize the true character of SS, I don't like the idea of 25 year olds having to support me with their payroll taxes. The ratio of retirees is much to their disadvantage and sure to generate ill will. In either case I would prefer more privatization, although it's too late to do me much good. larry
  • Mo' Better News?   19 years 25 weeks ago
    I'm like a font of fantastic ideas. Or something.
    I'd also love to see a news site that consciously avoided a "neutral point of view."

    In reading blogs for the past couple of years, I've found that, contrary to the moral of the "blind men and the elephant," a collection of opinions can provide better understanding about an issue or event than any "objective" news report. (I've also developed a gag-reflex to the studied blandness of newswriting and the absurd, forced balance of he-said, she said reporting). I think a blog reader (at least those who bother to read more than Rush Limbaugh-type dittohead sites) would be demonstrably better informed about, say, Iraq than someone who relied exclusively on The New York Times and the CBS Evening News, and not just because of shoddy reporting and overreliance on disinformation from government sources.

    Imagine a site that ran a report about the battle of Fallujah featuring short, unmediated essays by:

    - A military expert
    - A Middle East expert
    - A soldier
    - A resident of Fallujah
    - An anti-war activist
    - A Bush supporter

    I know it's possible, because I've come across all of those voices online. The report could also lay out basic factual information and pull together links to historical info, timelines, etc. It'd make the nightly news look like "Barney & Friends" in comparison.
  • Mo' Better News?   19 years 25 weeks ago
    Izzy
    It seems to me that Wikinews could be an I.F. Stone writ large. This passage from Victor Navasky's homage to Stone in the Nation could with a little modification could be Wikinews' mission statement: [A]lthough he never attended presidential press conferences, cultivated no highly placed inside sources and declined to attend off-the-record briefings, time and again he scooped the most powerful press corps in the world. His method: To scour and devour public documents, bury himself in The Congressional Record, study obscure Congressional committee hearings, debates and reports, all the time prospecting for news nuggets (which would appear as boxed paragraphs in his paper), contradictions in the official line, examples of bureaucratic and political mendacity, documentation of incursions on civil rights and liberties. He lived in the public domain. It was his habitat of necessity, because use of government sources to document his findings was also a stratagem. Who would have believed this cantankerous-if-whimsical Marxist without all the documentation? That last statement is especially intriguing - he was radical, opinionated, maybe even a little loony, but in the end he was right. And a hell of a lot of fun to read.

    This part also seemed apt: He once told David Halberstam that the Washington Post was an exciting paper to read "because you never know on what page you would find a page-one story." One of his favorite scoops...had to do with our capacity to monitor underground nuclear tests. It happened in the fall of 1957, when he spotted a "shirt tail" in the New York Times. A shirt tail, Izzy explained to the foreign journalists, is usually some wire-service information run as a little paragraph hanging down ("like a shirt tail") at the end of the main story. Seems to me that's a lot like what the bloggers are doing every day.

    Finally, I think the I.F. Stone model would be successful because of the satisfaction contributors would derive, motivating them to do more. As Izzy once said, "I have so much fun I ought to be arrested."
  • Mo' Better News?   19 years 25 weeks ago
    Oops
    Thanks...fixed it.
  • Mo' Better News?   19 years 25 weeks ago
    Group copy editing
    That's Seymour Hersh ;)
  • Blog Trolling Iraq?   19 years 25 weeks ago
    Blog trolling Iraq
    Check out the Yahoo message boards. They are trolling all over the place!
  • Bhopal Anniversary Marked By Corporate Social Responsibility Hoax   19 years 26 weeks ago
    Good indy story on Bhopal
    http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/12/305084.shtml
  • Lobby, Lobby, Lobby, Get Your Influence Here   19 years 26 weeks ago
    Brilliant Concept
    Wow!! I just discovered this site and think it is a brilliant idea to have a PR site for the Left disguised as a PR watch site. And it's so in-your-face, too! It has everything -- guilt by association, guilt by juxtaposition, even a blacklist. The only thing missing is "Are you now or have you ever been..." Go, Lefties!
  • Americans Shielded From Iraq's Brutal Realities   19 years 26 weeks ago
    Fascist Media
    When the USSR existed,...did we whine about Pravda and Izvestia being "biased"??? No !,...Of course not !---We just declared that Pravda and Izvestia were propaganda organs of the USSR government. So, ...Why do we pussy-foot around, ...whining about the "biased" media? The main stream media is no less than propaganda organs of the governments of the USA and of Israel----but why do we whine about it---rather than just declaring this truth to be so. We must therefore ask the media,..."When will you CEASE to be propaganda organs of the US and Israeli governments???"
  • All the News That Fits Our Agenda   19 years 26 weeks ago
    I wonder if the presence of t
    I wonder if the presence of the Record is putting pressure on the local paper of record. I looked briefly at the Intelligencer site, and it looks like they're also covering the civil suit beat. http://www.goedwardsville.com/site/news.cfm?brd=2291&pag=628&cat_id=402
  • Contact Us   19 years 27 weeks ago
    Update
    ...ooops, I just noticed you're located in Madison, WI; since this is the home of one of the most left-wing universities in America, your editorial bent is thus much more understandable. John Caile Eden Prairie, MN
  • Contact Us   19 years 27 weeks ago
    Iraq "Oil for Food" Scandal
    I'm a bit puzzled by your complete lack of coverage of the huge "Oil for Food" scandal in Iraq. With at least $21 BILLION dollars missing, and numerous high profile people involved (most curiously Mark Rich, former international con man pardoned by Bill Clinton), your failure to give this issue the attention it deserves raises questions about your editorial bias. Also, under the heading “Pentagon” you refer to the US as “murdering” millions of people in South East Asia and other places; hardly an example of “journalism.” Comments? John Caile Eden Prairie, MN