June 24, 2013
The Beltway Media: Watchdogs? More Like Lapdogs
Are “beltway media” types a guardian of democracy, or are they simply interested in maintaining privilege? Are they watchdogs or lapdogs?
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June 24, 2013
NSA Leak: David Gregory Suggests Glenn Greenwald Should Be Charged With A Crime
On Sunday’s Meet the Press, host David Gregory asked Glenn Greenwald, “To the extent that you have aided and abetted [Edward] Snowden [NSA leaker], even in his current movements, why shouldn’t you, Mr. Greenwald, be charged with a crime?” Last week I wrote about “groupthink” within the ranks of the mainstream media, and David Gregory is now Exhibit A. I believe a journalist could cross a line from reporting the news, to becoming the news, but is that what Greenwald set out to do? Is that what he’s done? Or is the mainstream media out to get him? Right now I put my money on the latter. The mainstream media coverage of the Snowden story falls under complicit reporting of government affairs, not objective reporting. It’s the kind of journalism that kept the executive branch unchecked and led us into two wars.
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June 20, 2013
CHART: The Conservative ‘Big Government’ Lie – U.S. Residents per Public Sector Worker
Conservatives loathe “big government.” I mean, they hate it with a passion. But their antipathy for big government is manufactured from a false pretense that larger government leads to smaller individual liberty. It’s hard to believe something as complex as the United States government, in a country with a population over 300 million, could be boiled down to a zero sum game of government vs. liberty, but that’s conservative logic for ya.
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June 20, 2013
FCC Indecency Standards: Conservative Sponsored Government Censorship
The only people hanging on to antiquated FCC indecency regulations are conservatives and their various “family” groups. The rest of us recognize this for what it is, government censorship. Everyone could point to something they dislike when it comes to big media companies, but that is not a reason to violate the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Government can regulate industries, but it should never stifle free speech.
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June 19, 2013
Conservatives Need To Explain Their Contempt For Americans
If there are conservatives in your family, this may sound all-too-familiar.
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June 18, 2013
CHART: Republican Trickle-Down Poppycock: Unemployment Rate vs. Top Marginal Income Tax Rate
Trickle-down economics — It’s easy to say tax cuts lead to jobs and then offer no proof. It’s easy to say those at the top of the economic ladder are the job creators and then award them with tax cuts. But when do we analyze the data?
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June 17, 2013
SNAP: Food Assistance: These Simple Charts Could Prove You’re An Ass
Many conservatives have no problem showing their disdain for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as “food stamps.” In December 2011, then Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum asked, “If hunger is a problem in America, then why do we have an obesity problem among the people who we say have a hunger program?” This is the kind of unthinking “wisdom” that emanates from the conservative bubble.
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June 17, 2013
Quote: Edward Snowden: You Simply Have To Eventually Fall Under Suspicion
“You simply have to eventually fall under suspicion from somebody even by a wrong call. And then they can use this system to go back in time and scrutinize every decision you’ve ever made, every friend you’ve ever discussed something with. And attack you on that basis to sort to derive suspicion from an innocent life and paint anyone in the context of a wrongdoer.” – (NSA leaker) Edward Snowden
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June 17, 2013
Positive Same-Sex Marriage Media Coverage Is Not Bias
Conservative opponents of same-sex marriage will likely point to a new Pew study as evidence of liberal media bias.
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June 17, 2013
NSA Leak: The Mainstream Media ‘Groupthink’ Smackdown Of Edward Snowden
Conservatives are correct that we should not trust the mainstream media, but it’s not because of liberal bias. In fact, the biggest reason the media deserves scrutiny is groupthink.
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