Character and The Courage of Resolve

Veterans' Day 2008. November skies of gunmetal gray opened today over a nation in transition. Noted with special poignance on this hallowed day is the passing of Ed Freeman, who, in the firestorm of the Ia Drang valley in November 1965, flew a Huey into that hot zone some 13 times under heavy fire to rescue 30 wounded after the medevacs had been ordered not to land.

This is the kind of character and courage that makes humankind great, regardless of the sovreignty from which they hail. It is the same kind of courage and compassion that made my father, whose B-17 was shot into the English Channel in 1944, insist that, as an Officer, he be the last man out of the sinking plane and then, treading February waters, held up two men who couldn't swim until they were rescued because the life raft was gone. It is the dedication and love for his country and his fellow Marines that made my stepfather fight his way up the middle of Iwo Jima for 32 days, an inch at a time, and the patriotism of my friend Rod, born in England after the Second World War of an another American patriot and an English beauty, that took him to the jungles of Viet Nam. It is my friend Dean, another whom I greatly admire, on his way back to Iraq for his 4th tour with the Marines, who once said that compassion was for those who can afford it. I disagreed; I reminded him that of all people, as a Marine, his code of honor and dedication was based in the most compassionate of principles: never to leave a comrade behind. The briefest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his face for an instant before he grudgingly agreed. The humility of the Great never fails to humble me as my admiration for their courage and character grows.

We who are fighting for women's rights and to regain and reform our democracy and a free press can gain strength and take comfort in the reminder that Courage and Character abound, now and always, in all places, despite indications to the contrary during the recent campaign.

And so, while the current president-designee readies himself to "rule"--this particular, peculiarly inappropriate-for-a-democracy word straight from aide Valerie Jarrett--we find ourselves barreling blindly toward a plethora of unknowns as we learn that nowhere in his To Do List do we see anything to indicate any desire to put competent women in government, eradicate sexism, or even utilize the considerable talents of Hillary Rodham Clinton, most certainly our nation's hardest working, most informed authority on health care.

So much for the "Progressive" Left. One would have to question groups like NOW and NARAL, who blindly endorsed this ticket, which at no time gave any indication that women's rights were of any concern. The president-designee--and I say designee because he is not yet the president-elect--[that appellation only applies AFTER the Electors of the College have voted--but then...he has always presumed a great deal too much, too fast] never once spoke out against the barrage of sexism and misogyny that pervaded the campaign; he has never once indicated that he is anything but a patronizing misogynist. What is so difficult to understand is that the early feminists of NOW have designated themselves dinosaurs by virtue of their blind subservience to someone like this, simply because--can it possibly be??--this individual champions abortion rights to the exclusion of all others. Robin Morgan's outrageously out of touch, patronizing piece from October 31 labeled her forever as one whose "liberal feminism" extends solely to those who see things HER way: everyone else--Republican women, women who choose NOT to have abortions, deserves little more than the back of her hand. No one whose opinion or lifestyle differs from hers is worth her time, her respect or her empathy. She apparently forgets that people fought and died to protect EVERYONE'S rights, not just hers.

We are at the beginning of the next phase of our Movement and of the long journey back to regaining the democracy we have long cherished and now lost. While it is a frightening process to watch our rights fall away, it is an exhilarating one to witness the formation of a new army of people who care about everyone's rights, and who clearly see that the simple pandering to a single issue is nothing more than an attempt to mollify, manipulate and subjugate 52% of our population. We join together to support The New Agenda, WomenCountpac, Together4Us, and the Just Say No Deal coalition, all of whom share in the resolve to restore our country to its once-great status as a champion of human and women's rights, democracy and fair elections, and fair and balanced media. WE CAN DO THIS. IT HAS ALREADY STARTED!

Our heartfelt thanks to those who have gone before us.

The Assininity of Audacity

It is now less than four weeks til the general election and people are still asking of Obama: "Who IS this guy?! " They're still scrambling about, searching high and low to get solid answers. In the meantime, about the only things that have come to light via main stream media have been little more than the result of audacious marketing and the steady scrubbing of every online site that carried information about him and his now almost non existent past. There exist none of his voting records as Illinois State Senator; no work products; no written work, no school work; save the few pieces salvaged by diligent researchers connecting him to criminals, terrorists, foreign bag men, socialist groups, illegal voting and finance schemes, his record, or what there is of it,could hardly be characterized as presidential.

What HAS emerged recently is just short of horrifying, as even main stream media has begun to flail about in the piles of information with which they have been inundated as they attempt to run what appear to be some of the less damaging pieces. The last few days have seen the ACORN connections come to light, along with--finally--some of Obama's long time connections with unrepentent terrorists, left wing radicals like Bill Ayers and his cousin from Kenya, Riale Odinga, among other things.

After diligent efforts to beat the constant scrubbing, Politically Drunk's inimitable J. Brown posted extensive documentation on Obama's membership in socialist groups such as New Party, Democratic Socialists for America http://www.dsausa.org/dsa.html, and, earlier, Youth Democratic Socialists, an offshoot of SDS [Students For a Democratic Society]. So has Thomas Lifson at American Thinker.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/10/archives_prove_obama_was_a_new.html
Stated one piece,

"Obama's membership within the 'New Party' is disturbing as even Green Party members attacked the DSA and New Party as nothing more than a fringe group. The New Party had hoped to implement Socialist Rule in the United States and was established to counteract the influence of a Democratic Party that they viewed as too moderate and too centered. Now it seems that nearly 10 years after the socialist party fell apart, their strategy of upward growth has reached the White House. Obama's ties to the DSA's New Party is beyond just an association it is outright membership, as clearly defined by the parties August 1996 newsletter, in an outright Socialist organization."

http://politicallydrunk.blogspot.com/2008/10/web-archives-confirm-barack-obama-was.html
Some of Obama's more recent attempts to remove all criticism [AND documentation] from public airwaves have included pressure on writers, researchers, the FCC and threats of litigation. As part of this pattern, other related violations of freedom of speech have occurred:

- A W.A.M. volunteer reported that both yahoo and google refused to produce her prepaid pro-Palin ad, claiming it was an "undesirable product"- the contents of which merely expressed an opinion without the use inflammatory or vulgar language.

- FOX news reported that MSNBC has refused to publish any anti-democratic comments from the network's online activity.

Andy Martin,long time Obama watcher has also fallen under the vengeful eye of the Obama camp, as he recounted recently. http://ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com

(NY 10/08/08) "We learned today that the Obama campaign is threatening economic retaliation against news organizations that communicate with me. This is an extension of the terrorist tactics that were directed at WGN-AM in Chicago for featuring critics. We are only a few steps away from a brown-shirted Hitler-style bully boy operation. America: the warning lights are on.
After today, no one can pretend they do not know what is in store for the United States if Barack Obama is elected. A Mugabe-style gang will be running the federal government. Threatening people with economic harm if they speak to other people is defined in the federal criminal code as Extortion.
By threatening media, Obama has morphed from nasty smears and McCarthyism to criminal activity. Threatening media with economic retaliation for interviewing me is a crime. Why has Obama's 'communications' man Gibbs attacked Hannity and me? Did I bomb buildings? No. Ayers did. But Obama/Gibbs suggests I am toxic and Ayers is not. Is Obama is trying to suggest that bombing the Capitol or Pentagon is equivalent to being a litigant in a controversial lawsuit?...
"I have only one question for the mainstream media: who's next?"

Bill Ayers gave Barack Obama a $100 million checkbook. Can anyone reasonably believe that Ayers entrusted money he personally had raised to someone whom Ayers did not know well and could not trust? Ayers knew and trusted Obama before he wrote him a check for $100 million dollars. Likewise, can anyone believe David Axelrod's...story that Obama accepted a check from Ayers for $100 million dollars ($50 million Annenberg, $50 million matching) without knowing who was behind [it] and who Bill Ayers was? Who did Obama think Bill Ayers was? An Ed McMahon substitute, delivering $100 million from Publishers Clearing House? These men, Obama and Ayers, knew each other intimately before the Annenberg deal went down. No honest person can hold a contrary opinion.

And, finally, there is word from Jerome Corsi, author of "Obamanation" who was detained by Kenyan authorities during a fact finding mission there. Corsi was finally released and put on a plane to England at the hands of armed guards. Given Obama's close relationship with Odinga, it was no surprise to learn of the attempt to prevent him from further research. In spite of the risk, he succeeded in obtaining correspondence from Obama to Odinga, advising Odinga how to foment unrest between factions in Kenya in order to insure his rise to power. Hmmm. Sounds familiar...The Uniter's true tactics revealed. Corsi's interview with Hannity & Colmes will appear on Monday, Oct. 13 on FoxNews. http://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2008/10/08/jerome-corsi-kenya-odm-strategy-obama-raila-odingakenyan-elections-petition-to-impeach-obama-sean-hannity-obama-kenya-2006logan-act-odinga-massacre-hannity-radio-show-fox-hannity-show/

So...Who IS this Barack Obama?” I believe that the answer to that question has always been that Barack Obama is what you need him to be. He has defined himself only as an agent for “Change,” but we really have no evidence that the change to which he so often refers has anything even remotely to do with the one WE envision. He remains, even now, a candidate without any real identity. He is what the voters project upon him. He is the ultimate illusion. And in His plan for Us, it is critical that we do NOT know who he is. This is indeed the preferred method of those who aspire to absolute power, and, as he himself stated,

"I...serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views."

It is difficult to deny the audacity implied therein. Never were truer words spoken, and perhaps, of all those he has spoken, these are the only ones that are true.

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them

Obama: The New OJ? Exactly thirteen years from the day he was acquitted for the brutal stabbing murder of his ex wife, Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman, O.J. Simpson was convicted on 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping, with mandatory sentence of 15 years to life. Simpson was once one of America's favorite sports personalities, enjoying luxury and status in his position of friendly, smiling pro athlete and ad spokesman until the murders, when his dark side was revealed to the public. The world was shocked: how could EVERYONE have been so taken in by this sociopathic personality, so adept at charming others while being capable of such brutal violence that even seasoned homicide detectives paled at the crime scene.

Unfortunately, this syndrome is not unusual. Before their crimes were discovered, some of the most violent criminals in history appeared to be charming, mild mannered and bright. This is not to say that Senator Obama is an axe murderer, but his endless trail of broken promises, individuals and principles thrown under the bus would lead anyone of sound mind to question his integrity. One can only hope that a lot fewer than 13 years will have to pass before the world learns just who he really is. His myriad campaign violations, to which, thus far, the FEC has turned a blind eye http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=13981 ; his countless associations with known felons such as Tony Rezko and Bill Ayers, questionable foreign entities [Nadhmi Auchi, Rail Odinga and Rashid Khalid], and corrupt public officials [Jim Johnson, Franklin Raines] are legion and represent just a few of the horrors that main stream media has yet to cover. One of the few exceptions is Hannity of FOX, whose show on the ACORN Obama connection is due to air Sunday night at 9 PM EST.

The tangled web grows, and with it the confusion and ignorance of the American public as both flourish with the help of main stream media and the Obama camp. From youth groups instructed to tell parents to vote for him, Axelrod's astroturf productions of singing children created by high end professionals, to doubtful American citizenship, www.obamacrimes.com, this package shows all indications of blowing up in our faces. The only question is how long will it take to detonate.

Add to this Joe Biden's long list of whoppers uttered in the vice presidential debate with Sarah Palin, including but not limited to his pronouncement that "we drove Hezbollah out of Lebanon" [--just ask the folks in Beirut how that's working out for them--in May the city burned, forcing government to give in to terrorists]; his statement that Obama never said he would meet with leaders like Ahmadinejad, [who stated that Israel and the U.S. should be destroyed] was an out and out lie--millions of viewers heard Obama state categorically that he would, indeed meet with any leader without prior conditions in a debate that included Hillary Clinton earlier this year.

And so it goes...tick...tick...tick...

But...It's TRUE!!

When Bill O'Reilly, responding to a stated fact, exclaimed,

"But it's TRUE!" to Frank Luntz, on last night's show, Luntz replied,

"Yes it is, but it doesn't MATTER that it's true; what MATTERS is PERCEPTION."

And that should end today's post. Purely and simply, like it or not, the truth has long been cast aside, thrown under the bus and disregarded as little more than an occasional annoyance by political strategists and main stream media. The evidence is overwhelmingly clear and incontrovertible. Today as I trolled cable news [kicking and screaming--it is painful to watch and fruitless for information gathering purposes unless the info I want concerns which network's telling which lies and for whom] for Bailout info, I was, as usual, appalled as I saw channel after channel give voice to some of the biggest whoppers I have seen--and that's saying something!

For example, I SAW John McCain and even, god help me, George Bush stating that Fannie and Freddie needed oversight to prevent an economic disaster in 2005; youtube.com/watch?v=cMnSp4qEXNM , youtube.com/watch?v=_ROOriYvJM4 I SAW Barney Frank, Democrat par excellence, at the same time, state unequivocably that NOTHING should be done about it, youtube.com/watch?v=H5tZc8oH I SAW the Democratic Black Caucus speaking strongly against any kind of oversight or preventive measures youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs . And I SAW Bill Clinton saying that these Democrats refused all Republican attempts to reel these agencies in. And yet, today, I heard main stream media taking every opportunity to blame it all on the Republicans. Now, let me be the first to remind you that I am a life long Democrat of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt persuasion. Never mind "Reagan Democrat"--for the life of me I still cannot begin to fathom just exactly what that is; having survived the Reagan era [just barely], I can tell you that I never knew a Democrat who supported him or his cockamamy ideas. But I do know what FDR stood for, and what, as the head of the Democratic Party, he tried in instill in that party, and the miracles he accomplished getting our country back on track after the crash of '29. He was supremely unpopular with conservatives, beloved by many and served an incredible three terms as POTUS. And he accomplished all of it without, Joe Biden's assertions notwithstanding, television. Print media in the 1930s, and even the '40's, '50s and '60s still pretty much respected and adhered to journalism's Professional Standards, and TV was too nascient in its early years to have gone astray. It has only been over the last twenty years that main stream media has followed itself down the darkest path there is: that of self delusion about its importance and its obligation to report the truth objectively. The saddest part about this decline was twofold. The technology itself held the potential to inform an electorate as never before, but instead devolved into the basest of tools for those with the most money to assert their influence, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week by having paid, self proclaimed pundits and pollsters supplant news casters.

Instead of Ed Murrow, we have an actor named Keith reading a script, trying to sound as he thought Murrow might have sounded when he read the news. Instead of Walter Cronkite, we have Frank Luntz telling us that the truth matters no more: it's all about PERCEPTION. And that is the most devastating aspect of all. Luntz is right, and he's about the only one telling the truth now.

The Gibson Edit...and the Rest of the Story

The Constitution grants special protections to "the Press" because a free and open exchange of ideas is essential to our form of government. This also gives "the Press" the responsibility of being watchdog to the government.

When the press become politicized and biased toward a particular view, they stop objectively reporting, present only one side of the issue, and become merely an extension of and advocate for the side they favor rather than the independent reporter mandated by the Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp below:

• Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
• Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
• Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.
• Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
• Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant
• Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.
• Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.

Clearly, the sin of ommission--be it in the form of editing out contextual material, as ABC's Charlie Gibson did, or simply neglecting to state a clarification or fact-- is no less than the sin of commission. Both dodge and taint the truth. Sadly, this is an example that, far from being the exception, has now become the rule in current day news reading. Instead of Edward R. Murrow, we have a Keith Olberman who merely plays Ed on TV, reading his prompter with passion but no information. Several weeks ago, when annienyc engaged him in what she expected would be an intelligent discourse on the Democratic candidates, she learned that, much to her surprise, he was clueless as to any facts about either candidate. Thus we have edited tape instead of insightful interview and commentary, or, barring that, Chris Matthews talks about his tingling leg.

This sad substitution for journalism must stop. Journalists need to replace prompter readers and pundits who have no idea what they are talking about. But most of all, we need to replace propaganda mongers with objective reporters once again. Our Democracy depends on it.