September 07, 2006
Oh, Police State! Up Yours!
This is so much like my dreams, it's scary!
In the midst of ABC's latest egregious propaganda stunt (I'm not personally aware if they've had others, but the phrasing stands) wherein reactionary mid-level bloggers are granted a greater level of access to preview a film than former Presidents, it's interesting to see where the American people stand with respect to certain pieces of misinformation (results thanks to the Zogby Poll):
The first question is whether the Iraq War has been worth the loss of American lives. They may want to throw in the tens of thousands badly injured, but even at this reduced level of casaulty only 36% of the country agrees with that proposition, which is about 35% too much (we'll leave 1% for the clinically insane). Also, one-fifth of Democrats agree with this. Are these the Scoop Jacksonites? Who was Scoop Jackson?
The second portion deals with how many civil liberties we're willing to give up, and led to the post title. Video surveillance of public places, something which is pretty much in effect anyway and doesn't raise that many 4th Amendment concerns, is at 80%. Then we get to blatantly unconstitutional (for now, anyway) measures: searching all your shit at random anywhere has a 55% approval, including 45% of Democrats. Roadblocks to search vehicles/random police stops to search vehicles is just under 50%; telephone conversation monitoring is at 37% (including 56% of Repulicans); and random mail searching is the only thing that does not get a majority of Republicans (49%, 36% overall).
We then get to the most consistently depressing question: "Do you agree or disagree that there was a connection between Saddam Hussein and 9/11?" This proposition, which must be held in people's mind as a way to delusionally justify the absolutely FUBAR situation in the Middle East, is agreed to by 46% of Americans, including one-third of Democrats and two-thirds of Republicans.
In short, the red states are filled with scared, stupid sheep, their brains buzzing with absolute misinformation and welcoming of a Soviet-style system of civil liberties. Unfortunately, their turnout based on the President's string of uninspiring speeches may dictate whether the House and Senate stay in the hands of the spineless politicians who would allow such things to happen. It's an interesting cycle: consistently mess up all foreign and domestic policy initiatives that could actually reduce the threat of terrorism in the long-term for short-term, fear-based political gain.
And, of course, if they're willing to do all sorts of damage to their own civil rights and those of their fellow Americans, you can only imagine the extent of the shit-end of the stick everybody else is going to get.
Great post title--I'm sure Poly Styrene would approve.
Aside from that, I just have to assume you're trying to get me to pick up that razor. Or, I guess, it's the American People who want to drive me to suicide. Like I've ever done anything to them.
Well, there was that one time I stole their lunch money. Still.
Sometimes I think 70% of the population is dumb as dirt, and 25% are people dirt would be ashamed to be compared to.
Other times, I'm more pessimistic.
Posted by: Tom Hilton at September 7, 2006 11:10 AMIf you put sprinkles on the shit end of the stick, I'm sure you could get more people on board.
Then what, move to Canada?
Where's my happy place when I need it?
Posted by: evilchemistry at September 7, 2006 12:22 PMOh, I've got a question for you.
About a week ago, a "reporter" from the local ABC affiliate was in my city's downtown asking the passersby "Are you more scared of Arabs since 9/11?". (Please note that said reporter is of Asian descent.)
I was not selected for this stupidity; my response would not have made the cut anyway. However, a lucky lady at the coffee shop next door was chosen and responded that no, she wasn't afraid before 9/11 and is not now. She tried to say more, but the reporter cut her off, said "That's not how most people feel" and left.
Posted by: Nancy in Detroit at September 7, 2006 03:18 PMIt seems MSNBC is positioning itself to become the left's version of Fox via a Keith Olberman's newscast and Joe Scarborough finally taking a low dose of Paxil. Fox will remain Fox and CNN will dirty up the center-right. CBS has become E! for people who don't get cable and ABC is becomming, well, Fox for people who would like to watch Fox but get intimidated by the big words.
That's my term paper so far.
Should the public airways be used for the purpose of slandering elected and appointed Democrats six weeks prior to an election? The FCC let them get away with it in 2004. It looks as though they will let it happen again. I think that every station that violates its responsibility to the public interest in this fashion should lose their license.
Posted by: thebewilderness at September 7, 2006 05:52 PMIt seems MSNBC is positioning itself to become the left's version of Fox via a Keith Olberman's newscast
You better hope your term paper grader is a drooling dittohead. Sure, MSNBC may draw ratings from the left and center, but to equate them to Faux News you have to overlook the niggling distinction that O'Really, Scaborough, and Hannity distort, fabricate, and smear, while Olbermann calls them on it with the facts.
Besides, wasn't The Left's version of Faux News was supposed to be fatty-fat fatty Michael Moore?
Posted by: melior (in Austin) at September 7, 2006 08:38 PMLOL he so fat!
seriously, tune in MSNBC any time before olbermann. they recently ran an election special with three presumably unbiased/undeclared anchordroids and then a long line of centrists* like scarborough, tucker carlson, chris matthews, tim russert... they probably threw rita "the wookie" cosby in there, too.
* not saying they're all hard-right all the time, but at best they're like a paranoid schizophrenic who takes his meds for two days straight once a year.
Posted by: jaxon bollox at September 8, 2006 04:05 AMJust yesterday I read a blog of a lady who claimed the Republican opposition to "Fahrenheit 911" was the exact same thing as the liberal opposition to the ABC docudrama. The fact that "F911" was a documentary and the mini-series is not just wasn't relevant in her mind.
It worries me that ABC's counter to criticism of the mini-series' inaccuracies is "hey, it's a docuDRAMA". I mean, they know people don't have the capability to realize that means it's not all true... and they're right. It's sad.
Posted by: Stacia at September 8, 2006 07:47 PM