Category Archives: Media

Media, Politics

Pope Dissed By MSM

Try this for a headline, “The Pope condemns the climate change prophets of doom.” This is anAlgore blaming U.S. for global warming article in the UK’s Daily Mail.

Pope Benedict XVI has launched a surprise attack on climate change prophets of doom, warning them that any solutions to global warming must be based on firm evidence and not on dubious ideology.

The leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics suggested that fears over man-made emissions melting the ice caps and causing a wave of unprecedented disasters were nothing more than scare-mongering.

The German-born Pontiff said that while some concerns may be valid it was vital that the international community based its policies on science rather than the dogma of the environmentalist movement.

On nuclear proliferation, another top shelf concern nowadays, AP reports “Pope warns against nuclear proliferation.” Pope Benedict said this . . .

“the danger of an increase in the number of countries possessing nuclear weapons causes well-founded apprehension in every responsible person.”

The inference of course is Iran. One might expect the New York Times to cover The Holy See, or most certainly the Christian Science Monitor. Their search engines turn up zero on both. Both stories are about what the Pope will be addressing in his annual message to world leaders for the Roman Catholic Church’s World Day of Peace on Jan. 1st.

Why do you think this news isn’t fit to print? Could it be because the media doesn’t like global warming “deniers,” as Al Gore would most assuredly label the Pope? Or maybe because the Pope doesn’t wear a turban? In both cases, Pope Benedict’s beliefs seem to be contrary to the template of today’s mainstream media. Yeah, that’s it.

Daily Mail UK | AP link

Media, Politics

Today’s Special, Al Gore – Ann Coulter

Al Gore, Nobel Peace Prize winner, global warming alarmist, former vice president, and formerly known as the next president of the United States, has reaped some criticism for cashing in on global warming while snubbing his audience at a Fortune Forum in London. Oh, I’m shocked.

Al Gore has come under fire for making personal gain from his mission to save the planet – after charging £3,300 a minute to deliver a poorly received speech. The former American Vice-President was also accused of being “precious” at the London event, demanding his own VIP room and ejecting journalists, despite hopes the star-studded gathering would generate publicity for the fight against global warming.

Ann Coulter wins the voting fraud charges made against her in 2006 when she was found to have voted in a district other than where she lived. I guess the problem from the left’s perspective is that she only voted once, and was still alive.

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter has been cleared of charges she violated election laws by voting in the wrong precinct in a February 2006 election in Palm Beach, Fla

Oh but the wacko left is all ticked off and are writhing in their own venom over this one.

What, you mean you haven’t heard about Ann Coulter’s case or Al Gore’s Fortune Forum appearance from the mainstream media? Just doing the job the mainstream media won’t do.

2008 Election, Media, Politics, War On Terror

Dems Briefed On Waterboarding in 2002

More specifically, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was briefed on the extreme interrogation technique. Back then, it was fine. In fact, they wanted to know if there was anything more they could do to break the terrorists to give up information. Today it’s a different story. Today it is torture. Today the disposing of two tapes that supposedly show the technique in practice is called obstruction. Something we need to investigate, according to Joe Biden.

Which is exactly what they are doing today. Both Nancy Pelosi and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va) had been fully briefed on what the CIA was doing in Guantanamo Bay and neither of them objected, much to the dismay of the far left. Then, doing what they felt was the proper thing to do, the CIA notified Jay Rockefeller a few years ago that there were tapes of interrogations and that they intended to destroy them. The CIA was doing a CYA in letting those in oversight responsibilities, like Jay Rockefeller, know of the steps they were taking. After all, keeping secrets secret is what they do. What did Rockefeller do with that news? Nothing. He let it happen, as would anyone else on the side of America.

Enter politics and an election, and now it’s a whole different story. In the absence of core beliefs, it makes politicizing the war and the war effort easy.

Thank goodness that videotapes of interrogations that happened to a couple key al Qaeda bad guys were destroyed. You know that the identities of the real covert operatives would have been splashed all over the New York Times if they still existed and if Jay Rockefeller’s staff ever got their hands on them. For purely political purposes, there seems to be no current of opinion in the media and key democrats to keep the actions secret, including the identities of the covert agents involved. Contrast that to all the fake outrage of exposing the identity of Valerie Plame, a desk clerk analyst, who, at the time, was not a covert CIA agent. Protecting the identities of CIA operatives seem to be a selective, political concept.

Judiciary, Media, MRIOTD, Politics, United Nations, War On Terror

Please, Don’t Pet The Terrorist

Meet Army Col. Wendy A. Kelly, director of operations of the Office of Military CommissionsCol. Wendy Kelly, and a Philadelphia lawyer who is in charge of setting up America’s forthcoming terrorism trials in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Don’t pet the terrorist. In other words: Treat detainees humanely but don’t be so eager to make up for past abuses that you put yourself or your country at risk.

Perhaps Col. Kelly’s biggest challenge will be to figure out how trying 80 detainees will not be turned into the greatest show on earth by the mainstream media. Albeit not her only challenge.

She has spent 26 years as a government lawyer – half in the military, half as a civilian federal prosecutor in Philadelphia. Her DNA is half soldier, half lawyer.

From challenges about ‘torture’ that is not torture, to who trashed the videotapes, to these human debris are protected by the Geneva Convention, to these human debris have U.S. Constitutional protection, and the list goes on and on from the anti-Bush, anti-war, anti-American pro-terrorist groups in this country. And that’s just for starters.

Back in Washington, in an unmarked, secure corner office near the Pentagon, Kelly helps draft terrorism-trial rules and reviews proposed formal charges against detainees, including top-secret evidence.

If the first terrorism trial does begin early next year – roughly six years after detainees began arriving from Afghanistan – it will mark the first full-fledged U.S. “military commission” since World War II.

Will the military commissions, as Kelly predicts, show that the United States can convene fair trials for accused terrorists? “I think people will be surprised,” she says.

“I’m sure most Americans think, ‘To hell with them. Why should we give them a fair trial? They’re terrorists.’ It’s true that we don’t have to provide a trial for any of these people. We have the legal right to keep them until the conflict is over, which may be five years or may be 100 years.

That would be my choice for them.

But if you’re going to provide trials – for the sake of the United States and the JAG [military legal] corps, because we are the ones who are going to be judged – they have to be fair.”

I think we’ve reached the point of no return on the issue of whether or not there will be trials, thanks to bleeding hearts in Washington who bow to the U.N. And that’s a shame, but from what it looks like, Col. Kelly will do the job that needs to be done in a fair way.

More than half of the 800 detainees brought to Club Gitmo have been ordered released. Ironically, they have it better in Cuba now than if they were returned to their country of origin, which is why they’re still in Cuba. Sounds good to me, send them back to face the music. Make them wish they were in the custody of the United States.

“No one writes about what the detainees do,” Kelly says. “There’s just the conclusion by the media that detainees are constantly mistreated and the guard force are a bunch of sadistic monsters – that particularly bothers me.”

According to military reports and interviews with guards, the detainees scream, they attack, they carve shanks, they spit, they hurl cocktails of semen and feces. “It takes a lot of patience,” a guard said.

And for the absurdly ridiculous of rules, created by backlash from the fake Koran down the toilet episode, Kelly says . . .

“The guards are not allowed to search detainees’ ‘sacred places’ ” – between their waist and knees – “because it might offend their religious sensibilities.”

She shakes her head. “I’m sorry. Their sacred places? Can you believe that?”

No, I can’t believe that. That area is sacred? Does the Koran cover proper use and handling of genitalia and body orifices? Most Ridiculous Item Of The Day! That must be the Penthouse version of the Koran in use down there. Apparently the Koran is also OK with “hurling cocktails of semen and feces” too! Will have to consult the local Imam about that.

Philadelphia Inquirer link: Mission:Fairness

Media, Politics, War On Terror

Today’s Special

Some significant progress in Afghanistan is taking place against the Taliban. A stronghold town is surrounded by the Afghan and coalition armies. How peaceful or bloody it gets resolved is up to the Taliban. But the end is near for the bad guys there.

Democrats in Washington seem to be caving in to support the troops, much to the dismay of the anti-war wing of their party. The George Soros wing.

“Do Republicans have a tough stance on funding the troops in the field? Yes,” said McConnell’s spokesman, Don Stewart. “Because we made a commitment to the troops overseas to give them the training and equipment and support that they need.”

Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi will just have to wait until the American people elect one of theirs President and Commander in Chief before they can play President and Commander in Chief.

Thank goodness that videotapes of interrogations that happened to a couple key al Qaeda bad guys were destroyed. You know that the identities of the real covert operatives would have been splashed all over the New York Times if they still existed and if Jay Rockefeller’s staff ever got their hands on them. For purely political purposes, there seems to be no current of opinion in the media and key democrats to keep the actions secret, including the identities of the covert agents involved. Contrast that to all the fake outrage of exposing the identity of Valerie Plame, a desk clerk analyst, who, at the time, was not a covert CIA agent. Protecting the identities of CIA operatives seem to be a selective, political concept.

2008 Election, Immigration, Media, MRIOTD, Politics, Russia, Uncategorized, Venezuela

Today’s Special

News of Venezuela’s referendum which would crown the hemisphere’s idiot, Hugo Chavez, as dictator for life, and usurp the democracy movement is sounding all too familiar. Too close to call. Opponents are acting confident that they won by an 8 percent margin. The government has not released the results yet. Will be interesting to see what Chavez does if he loses.

UPDATE: 1-hour later: Chavez loses referendum 51% to 49%. OK, now stand back and watch how well Chavez takes this news.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin did what Chavez hoped to do. His political party won by a landslide. Of course, it helps when you only allow the opposition (pro-Western) party on the tightly controlled state airwaves and characterize them as provocateurs in the pay of foreign overlords. Scaring voters of a ‘western plot’ also helps.

A small victory for democracy in Hong Kong. But we’ll take it.

Things aren’t going well in Iowa for Sen. Hillary Clinton. Aside from polling second to Sen. Barack Obama in Iowa, she was booed by a group of 3000 fellow democrats in Des Moines when she spoke in favor of comprehensive immigration reform. Iowans correctly read that as nothing more than lipstick on a pig named ‘ amnesty.’ I read that as Iowa democrats are not liberal like she is. It highlights her arrogance, not leadership, to even go there after seeing how badly and how broadly the country rejected Bush’s comprehensive plan.

And qualifying for the Most Ridiculous Item Of The Day, the media comes to her aide in the aftermath of the hostage ‘crisis’ in one of her campaign offices like this.

When the hostages had been released and their alleged captor arrested, a regal-looking Hillary Rodham Clinton strolled out of her Washington home, the picture of calm in the face of crisis.

and this explains why.

It was a vintage example of a candidate taking a negative and turning it into a positive. And coming just six weeks before the presidential voting begins, the timing could hardly have been more beneficial to someone hoping to stave off a loss in the Iowa caucuses and secure a win in the New Hampshire primary.

 

2008 Election, Media, Politics, Uncategorized

LA Times On The ‘Corrupt News Network’

I don’t remember when I’ve quoted anything from the LA Times that I agreed with. That’s how often it happens. Their take on last week’s CNN/youTube debate however is both unique and right on. In defense of CNN’s use of democrat operatives and members of the Clinton campaign, CNN put out this statement the next day . . .

“The whole point of these ground-breaking CNN/YouTube debates is to focus on substantive questions of concern to real people and to throw open the process to a wider range of Americans all around the country. CNN cared about what you asked, not who you were.”

CNN did not do either. The first and most obvious bit of journalistic malpractice is the selection of Democrat campaign operatives like Keith Kerr to hold the microphone in a Republican debate. The next thing, and maybe less obvious is they didn’t focus on the most important issues on the minds of Americans. They focused instead on what was important to CNN. Tim Rutten of the LAT begins . . .

THE United States is at war in the Middle East and Central Asia, the economy is writhing like a snake with a broken back, oil prices are relentlessly climbing toward $100 a barrel and an increasing number of Americans just can’t afford to be sick with anything that won’t be treated with aspirin and bed rest.

So, when CNN brought the Republican presidential candidates together this week for what is loosely termed a “debate,” what did the country get but a discussion of immigration, Biblical inerrancy and the propriety of flying the Confederate flag?

In fact, this most recent debacle masquerading as a presidential debate raises serious questions about whether CNN is ethically or professionally suitable to play the political role the Democratic and Republican parties recently have conceded it.

After citing examples of CNN’s “intellectual venality” in the questions it picked, Rutten continues. . .

[I]t pales beside the wickedness of using some crackpot’s query about the candidates’ stand on Biblical inerrancy to do something that’s anathema in our system — to probe people’s individual religious consciences. American journalists quite legitimately ask candidates about policy issues — say, abortion — that might be influenced by their religious or philosophical convictions. We do not and should not ask them about those convictions themselves. It’s nobody’s business whether a candidate believes in the virgin birth, whether God gave an oral Torah to Moses at Sinai, whether the Buddha escaped the round of birth and rebirth or whether an angel appeared to Joseph Smith.

It certainly makes a case for the uselessness of this kind of debate format, and the irrelevance of CNN, the most trusted name in news, when it comes to politics. It also makes the case for journalists to go back to asking, and taking responsibility for, their own questions. I couldn’t agree more with Rutten’s conclusion.

In any event, CNN has failed in its responsibilities to the political process and it’s time for the leaders of both the Republican and Democratic parties to take the network out of our electoral affairs.

related links:

LA Times, CNN: Corrupt News Network| The Lunch Counter: Joe Scarborough and Me | Not Just A Plant, But A Whole Nursery

2008 Election, Media, Pensacola, Politics, Uncategorized

Joe Scarborogh, And Me, On CNN’s Plant At Republican Debate

On the ‘Morning Joe‘ show this morning, Pensacola’s own Joe Scarborough gave his take on what the mainstream media has been playing really low key, if mentioning IT at all. The IT is the planting by CNN of questioners at last nights CNN/YouTube sponsored Republican debate.

He didn’t go into all the other phony questioners mentioned here, but he really didn’t need to to make his point. The retired ‘openly gay’ general not only had his video question aired, but CNN flew him from California, all expenses paid, so he could be in the audience and actually participate in the debate with the candidates. THAT was no coincidence. Nor is it a coincidence that he is on the “LGBT Americans for Hillary”1 committee. A national steering committee of over 65 leaders in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.

The video from Morning Joe is HERE.

I saw the ‘debate.’ And from the opening bell with the folk singer, (folk singers are a staple for liberals (Baez, Mitchell, Young, Taylor)), it quickly became apparent from that tune, and from the way the questions that followed were framed, hitting all the stereotypes the left ascribes to republicans and conservatives, that CNN’s intent was to demean the candidates by casting them all as racists, homophobes, hypocrites and bigots. To their credit though, I thought all of the candidates handled the idiotic questions just fine. Unfortunately, for the few Americans who actually watched the debate, there was little to be learned from the candidates that everybody didn’t already know.

Chalk it up to a waste of time and a failed attempt to disparage the republican field of candidates. CNN did however manage to show themselves to be, to borrow a Chris Wallace phrase, ‘hyper-partisan’ in the staged event, to the point of making them look like total fools in the political arena.

1I have a screen capture of Hillary Clinton’s Campaign website in the event someone edits or removes the web page showing the general’s affiliation with her campaign.

2008 Election, Media, Politics, Uncategorized

CNN Republican Debate: Not Just A Plant, But A Whole Nursery

While the news that CNN redacted the transcript of a democratic plant, among 6 democratic ‘undecided’ plants, in the Nov 15 Democrat debate they sponsored is still coming out, there is news today that a Hillary campaign operative was a plant in last night’s CNN sponsored Republican debate. The retired general, Keith Kerr, is actually a member of Hillary Clinton’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transexual Americans For Hillary Steering Committee. Anderson Cooper’s mea culpa below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28CCf4cEDpI[/youtube]

Was CNN a victim, an accomplice of Clinton Inc., or just incompetent? A cursory search on the net reveals that this questioner was also on the Steering Committee of “Veterans for Kerry” AND was interviewed twice by CNN in 2003. But it doesn’t stop there. Michelle Malkin’s blog discovers many more.

It certainly makes a case for the uselessness of this kind of ‘debate’ format, and the irrelevance of CNN, ‘the most trusted name in news,’ when it comes to politics. It also makes the case for ‘journalists’ to go back to asking, and taking responsibility for, their own questions.

related links:

Free Republic- Transcript of CNN Interview with Gen. Keith Kerr 12/11/2003
Digging out more CNN/YouTube plants
Hillary plants question in Republican debate
CNN Hides Its Tracks, Edits Debate Transcript
More Planted Questions At CNN Democrat Debate

2008 Election, Media, Politics

CNN Hides Its Tracks, Edits Debate Transcript

1 Comment

I’ve heard it all now. CNN, “the most trusted name in news” redacting the transcript of theLaShannon Spencer, Arkansas Democrat Operative November 15th Democrat Debate. This doesn’t even come close to the fake news conference that FEMA held a few weeks ago.

It’s about LaShannon Spencer, who was identified as a member of the First African Methodist Church, but she is also an Arkansas Democratic Party operative. Hardly the ‘undecided’ she was purported to be.

Here is CNN’s version of their transcript. Try to findCNN, the most trusted to lie. the exchange. Maybe CNN is the most trusted name in news to lie for an agenda? Yeah, that’s it.

h/t Reality Hammer | Newsbusters | Doug Ross @ Journal | Rush Limbaugh