Category: 2017

With every week that passes by, I keep thinking that maybe things will get better. Perhaps Reason, Sanity and Balance would prevail upon this nation and the world rather than the confusing situation we find ourselves in, and which is becoming even more Bewildering by the hour! However, it’s not happening. To the contrary, it seems that the clouds on our horizons are darkening even more.

As I write this, I flip between our news channels only to find that CNN and MSNBC are absolutely, adamantly intent on impeaching Donald Trump. They have become zealously and very distastefully obsessed with this mission. In fact, a just-published Harvard study suggests that these two channels had over 95% negative coverage of the President. It is quite appalling coming from CNN with the untruthful mantra of the “most trusted name in news!” It is equally disconcerting when it is heralded by MSNBC with their arrogant, in-your-face “this is who we are” slogan! No MSNBC, that’s not why I watch! Balderdash! Anyway, I barely watch them anymore these days, preferring the FOX news channel (who me? Wow!), whose slogan of “fair and balanced” is much more truthful according to that same Harvard study, as well as my own observations. Even Democracy Now, a news program hosted by Amy Goodman, and which I have been devotedly following for years, has lost track of its fair presentation of the news and has jumped on the Impeach Trump wagon train! How disappointing! Moreover, the total marginalization of Melania Trump is starkly rude! She was so elegant and so regal during every appearance on the recent Middle East trip, but not a comment from the disgusting, bigoted Mass Media. Utter shamelessness! Again, I did not vote for Donald Trump. However, I simply abhor unfairness and deliberate vindictiveness!

As for our Congress, who, according to Gallup, are at a dismal 19% approval rating, they, too, have become obsessed with live, almost daily on-air hearings and appearances during which they posture and pose for the cameras in order to portray themselves as relevant representatives of the people. What a show! Would that they would be as avid in pursuing the people’s real issues! Rather than spending these inordinate amounts of hours deporting themselves over hearsay and innuendo, they should, as one example, be zealously occupying their energies on presenting the nation with a truly fair, just and compassionate health bill that disregards the interests of the insurance companies, the pharmaceutical industry, the doctor’s lobbying groups and their own greedy pockets while only taking the utmost welfare of all the citizens into consideration. Corrupt Hypocrites!

Our President went on a whirlwind trip to the Middle East (and God forbid that the corrupt Mainstream Media would show as much footage of his visit with President Abbas as they did all the other stops! Bigotry? Bias? Racism? All of the above and much, much more! It is just so terribly painful!) proclaiming America’s peaceful intentions and endeavors, while selling billions of dollars of lethal weapons to Saudi Arabia. And what a weird, screwed-up and dangerous relationship that is! The message I get – and one that I have been getting for a long while now – is that we will kill, and, yes, including the “babies” that our President was so moved about, destroy, uproot and bomb our way into our version of peace. How does that make any sense? How can it be reasonable, or acceptable? How does filling our coffers with blood money be justified as peaceful? It simply cannot! We should just stop this charade, this farce! Enough inhumane agony for that part of the world! It is so brutal! Uncivilized, to say the very least.

Meanwhile, the hackers and cyber criminals are busy every second with inventing newer and better malware and other cyber weapons. At some point, a tragedy is going to occur that will affect each and every one of us. That kind of terrorism would be much more deadly than what happened in Manchester, tragic as that was. Terrifying!

After my blood pressure goes up enough, I go back to watching one or the other of the “Law & Order” reruns. At least, in that world, the “perps” and the felons get nabbed and punished, the prosecutors and the detectives are pursuing their mission ethically and morally, and Right and Wrong have not been mangled and warped as they have by our mainstream media, corrupt politicians, self-serving corporations and greedy, unethical, immoral individuals and lobbyists. Yes, better to watch these episodes where Truth still means Truth and no one is trying to convince me that their Lies are the Truth; where Excitement over a story is far better than the Excitement in real life which has the potential of endangering and threatening my existence and that of the whole world’s; where, at the end of the episode, there is a fair resolution, which in real life these days is hardly ever happening as we all hang suspended not knowing where the next calamity is coming at us from.

During the past six weeks my whole system was totally – I mean, totally! – thrown out of whack. It all began with a flu virus that, at my age especially, devastated my whole body and caused my immunity to go so low that I became susceptible to one thing after the other so that I am still not quite all together. Our world has been infected with a worse virus. It is the Greed and Corrupt virus that has thrown all our institutional systems out of whack as they have never, ever been before now – not that we have been living in Shangri-La during the past millennia. However, the surreal realities of our chaotic world have discombobulated our daily lives, and their devastation is much more lethal than the flu virus that invaded my being. What could be the antidote for such a pervasive world pandemic other than Reason, Sanity and Balance which are in very short supply on our planet? What is it going to take to align our unbalanced world affairs and the politicians causing them? I do not see any hopeful signs! Do you?

Quite Bewildering!

Ever since President Trump began trashing the Mainstream Media there has been a display of outrage amongst our so-called journalists and reporters. It seems to me, though, that their feigned indignation and pretentious anger are quite hypocritical. One and all are repeating the same tired old mantra: A Free Press is Essential to Democracy! Hence, how dare the President call them Fake News? And, yes, a Free Press certainly, certainly! is essential. However, our press – even a few in the Alternative Media – is not really Free at all! There is a Huge difference between a Free Press that serves as the impartial voice of the people and that is an Essential part of a Democracy, and a Free Press that IS the arm of a Democratic Republic and which does Not speak on behalf and for the people, but only serves the agendas of the Government/Military/Corporations. Yes, it is a Huge difference! Moreover, Ignoring Facts that can Enlighten and Inform, in a political context especially, is just the same as Lying. And our Mainstream Media is very guilty of doing that.

As an example: in all the situation with Russia and its occupation of Ukraine there were no discussions on the Mainstream Media that provided a Context as to why Russia feels that Ukraine is vital to its interests, or how we promised not to have NATO (under our tutelage) encroach onto Russia’s territory by conducting any maneuvers close to the Russia/Ukraine borders. According to some very knowledgeable investigative journalists, it seems that we did not live up to that commitment! Wouldn’t it, therefore, be of importance that the American people know the fundamental and true facts about this dispute? Haven’t we learnt anything from our debacle in Iraq? Ignorance, or Willful Blindness? They are simply consumed with the probability of Russia’s Interference! Why? Who gave us the license to meddle with every country we choose and withheld it from every other nation? It is mind-boggling! Which is not to say that Interference of Any country in our elections is allowable. However, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. No? Ignoring such Realities is equal to Lying and to serving the Interests of everyone but the Truth.

In every instance when there has been Any action in Syria that is horrific, hardly any Mainstream Media personality gave even the benefit of doubt as to who could have perpetrated the atrocity. Rather, we followed the trajectory that in Each and Every instance Assad and his government were the responsible criminals and furnished No convincing proof of that. Why? Because, it seems to us ordinary people, that we, the US and its military, together with our allies, want to continue the profitable war on Syria, as well as to destroy the entire Middle East. Where is the investigative reporting about this, let alone the pundit opinions and fair analysis? Absent!

And let me not even expect that they would present a balanced, unbiased discussion on Anything to do with the Palestinian people and with the illegitimate and immoral occupation, subjugation and colonialism by Israel. Another bigoted and discriminatory practice that makes them more untrustworthy as conveyors of Facts, rather than the manipulated Fiction that is intended to keep blinders on the electorate and their viewers!

Dissent and Protests are hardly ever covered by our Mainstream Media: The Prison Protests across many parts of this US during last year; the Dakota Access Pipeline Camps and Protests that lasted for months on end in the middle of a very harsh winter; the events going on in North Carolina against a Republican/Conservative attempt at taking over and upturning every democratic law and regulation in the state and, that is happening in other states as well; the many marches and protests that have been taking place since Donald Trump became President and, especially, the May First marches that spanned the US and the world and which were hardly covered by our vaunted Mainstream Media; and, Most Importantly how anti-democratic laws are being passed by certain states to outlaw and criminalize any form of protests or dissent and to continue chipping away at women’s rights, human rights and equality and on and on! Is this not Vital News? Really?

Has any so-called Mainstream Media person ever mentioned the Monsanto Tribunal that took place on October 15/16 and that surmised that Monsanto was committing criminal ecocide with its immoral weed killer, Roundup, as well as its other deadly products? Of course not! Corporations such as Monsanto, Exxon-Mobil and Big Pharma are the advertising life-blood that pays the exorbitant media salaries! Ignoring such informative Events is similar to, and just as deceitful, as Lying!

The Mainstream Media invites and exults themselves and their peers whenever one of them publishes a book, trivial as it may be. They also interview non-threatening-to-the-status-quo authors, writers and Hollywood celebrities. However, they have rarely, if ever, interviewed authors, or writers that contradict and belie the Government/Military/Corporate viewpoint. Omissions of this kind are what makes them biased, bigoted and untrustworthy.

Has anyone mentioned the shambles that the Bush/Clinton initiative created in poor Haiti, and the stolen millions that honest people donated after that earthquake? Another Omission that proves their Untrustworthiness!

As for still not being able to get over the fact that Hillary lost, not one of those so-called reporters, talking heads and pundits spoke about how the Clinton Global Initiative shuttered down on January 12 and ceased operations almost immediately after our 2016 elections??!! Is that not worth investigating ad nauseam as they do on so much else that is trivial? Or, is this simply how they continue to wallow in their totally misplaced and erroneous belief that had crowned Hillary and that had totally bewildered them when Trump won against all the odds, and against their totally discounting the possibility that he might do so? Shameful!

Nor will they ever discuss rigged elections, voter suppression, redistricting and gerrymandering in order to disenfranchise voters, especially minorities? Oh, no! Everything is cool in their la-la-land and our elections are above reproach and unbiased criticism, aren’t they? Why disconcert the Politicians and Captains of Industry that give them access and pay their wages by speaking Truth to Power as they very seriously assert that they do? Should they do that, their advertising revenues would plummet Oh, no!

The Flint leaded (poisonous!) water was discussed – briefly! – however, Flint residents are not the only victims of this tragedy. Our water across many states and localities is in dire straits! Should this issue that is vital to the health and well-being of American communities across the country be discussed on Every Program and until something gets done? Should unbiased water experts be brought in? Nah! Whatever for?

Rather, it is merely: Trump! Trump! Trump! He said. He didn’t. He tweeted. He blundered! And, it seems, that they have decided that the “Watergate” moment is nigh! Impeachment is in the offing! Though it Might – Might! -Occur, they are salivating at the possibility as of yesterday! Hold your breath people! Meanwhile, Anything can be said about him! After all, the First Amendment protects our Free Speech. And, yes, it does. However, just because we have the license and ability to be so totally disrespectful does not mean that we ought to be. There is no semblance of decorum anymore, not one iota of regard for the reputation of the country. It’s embarrassing! Actually, with all the goings-on in our Government and with our politicians these days, the whole country has become a scary embarrassment! How dangerous! Sad! Criticism of Trump, or any other President or politician, is perfectly in order. Classless and vulgar diatribes and opinions are simply revolting whether from the Left, the Center, or the Right!

I do applaud the Media, though, on staying on the Health issue. Our health system is scandalous and inhumane. I do hope that they will stay on this issue day and night and until we are presented with a fair, compassionate and humane health bill. Will they do that? They really should!

There are numerous other examples of their negligence, of course! And there are investigative journalists with integrity and honest reporters who do write about such important matters. However, our Mainstream Media picks and chooses at the expense of telling the Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing but The Truth come what may! Truly, they have generally become part of the nation’s insatiable appetite for entertainment, sensationalism and gossip and, in that sense, they fulfill their mission. Yes, a Free Press is essential to any democracy. Let’s face it, we do Not have a Free Mainstream Press.