By Ted Becker
This will be a shorty but goody.
Chris Wallace, Mike Wallace’s son but now a Fox “News” commentator, has been on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” several times. Stewart likes him and thinks that Fox has hired him to give the Fox “propaganda” model a veneer of respectability and “balance.” Wallace finally got Stewart to come on his show in late June 2011 to grill him and prove that Stewart, like Fox, has a political agenda. (more…)
By Ted Becker
Thanks to the New York Daily News for these photos
This time, it’s the fight to remedy the dismal failure called “The War on Drugs”, in particular marijuana. Ron Paul—a Libertarian—and Rep. Barney Frank, a liberal Democrat—are collaborating on a bill in Congress to keep the Feds from interfering with personal use of Pot in states that make it legal—usually by citizens going around their legislatures via Citizens Initiatives. It’s usually called “medicinal marijuana.” (more…)
By Ted Becker
Third parties have been a very important part of American history. They’ve arrived at pivotal moments and caused seismic shifts in the politics of their day. Most Americans don’t realize that the Republican Party started as a third party, united under Lincoln to win the presidential election of 1860. Their victory was a major factor behind the start of The Civil War. They beat the Whigs and Democrats and became a majority party nationally up to The New Deal.
The Populist Party was a serious force in national debate and politics at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th. Though they didn’t win the presidency, most of their party platform became law through statutes or constitutional amendments within a few years. And Theodore Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party won a large amount of votes (around 20%) and gave the 1912 election to the Democrats over the Republicans. In more recent times, Ross Perot managed to set up a nationwide Reform Party in a few months of 1992…and his 19% of the vote cost George W. H. Bush re-election. (more…)
By Ted Becker
How To Get The U.S. Out of The Middle East and Central Asia With Peace and Honor:
Chapter 1
STRATFOR at (www.stratfor.com ) and its owner (and one of the leading geo-strategic analysts in the cyber-world), Dr. George Friedman, sent out this “Alert” on Tuesday, June 7, 2011. It paraphrases the views of the former chief of Israel’s super secret CIA—The Mossad—who is considered a leading “Hawk” and supporter of Likud, the extreme right wing ruling party of Israel.
What he says below reinforces and reaffirms what we have been saying for many years: Israel’s religious extremists are leading their nation—with the USA in the same boat: over a high waterfall. (more…)
By Ted Becker
A few years ago at Auburn University, I asked the Dean of the School of Journalism at the University of California at Berkeley, who had just given a lecture on freedom of the press in Communist China, what he thought of “The Daily Show.” He replied with a question of his own: “Isn’t it sad that the only real news you can get on American television these days is on a comedy show?”
We have coined the phrase “The Jon Stewart Effect” in describing how even “lamestream” (thanks to Sarah Palin for that one) mass media is beginning to cover Sarah Palin in the Jon Stewart style of what he, tongue in cheek, calls “fake news.” Check out a recent blog of ours on that.
So how should a REAL news journalist on TV cover this woman who probably has as much name recognition in American politics as just about anyone other than past and present presidents? Mika Brzezinksi, who is the co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” has a history of resisting “puff” stories that have no “REAL” news content. (more…)
By Ted Becker
America: The Police State. Chapter 2:
Image by www.shutterstock.com
In keeping with the easily substantiated theory that American imperial enterprises have created a devolution of political liberty in the United States, both for its own citizens and citizens of other countries who run afoul of what the U.S. imperial government considers to be for “the national security”—or in the “national interest”—here is more straw to add to the camel’s back. (more…)
By Ted Becker
America, The Police State: Chapter 1
For all of you out there who don’t believe The American Empire abroad has turned into a police state at home, there are now so many stories out there that, by connecting the dots, you come to the discomforting realization that—yes, indeed—America has turned into a “Police State.” This June 2011 news story proves that no one, get that, NO ONE is immune from its brutal tactics. The U.S. Police State has no bounds! (more…)
By Ted Becker
Photo by www.reuters.com
Until quite recently, Turkey was probably Israel’s key ally in the Middle East. This made sense since Turkey is by far the most successful Islamic democracy in the world. In fact, Turkey and Israel’s air forces were close partners, that is, until the Israeli military attack on Gaza from late 2008 to early 2009 in which a multitude of Palestinian citizens were killed and wounded. This high tech military operation against a civilian Muslim population brought about worldwide condemnation, particularly in the Islamic world.
Perhaps the greatest casualty, though, was to Israeli-Turkish relations. The Turks saw this as an atrocity and temporarily broke off diplomatic relations with Israel. Although that is now in the past, the anger and disgust among Turks with Israel festered. (more…)
by Ted Becker
Photo by Sanfranciscosentinel.com
Is Sarah Palin going to run for the Republican nomination for President? The U.S. mass media is in a frenzy trying to get the American public to care. But why? Everyone knows that she is already doing it. And any serious newsperson knows she’s not anywhere near presidential caliber. Her latest campaign hoax, a political reality show disguised as a “bus tour”, is like a huge pileup of cars on a highway…with passing drivers unable to keep from staring at the bodies. But why do these “professional” newsmen keep staring and daring us to watch it? (more…)
Planning for Survival by Ismail Rifaat
