There once was a time in America when the goings on of government were reported with somewhat acceptable accuracy, analysis was conducted by writers and broadcast personalities and the product fed to the American people, though several days or weeks behind, was somewhat useful.
(Snicker) Sorry, I can’t believe I actually wrote that sentence. At any rate, the founding fathers recognized that in order for the people to hold their government accountable, the press needed to have protections from government in order to provide such information. Admittedly, they occasionally screwed everything up with a Sedition or Espionage or other form of act which severely intruded upon the freedom of the press, but they at least had the right to report, even if the government controlled the information quite well.
Fast forward a little over two centuries and the government has written so many laws to protect what they do behind closed doors, it’s a miracle when anything even mildly controversial slips out. Hence the uproar over Army Pfc. Bradley Manning allegedly providing modern miracle Wikileaks with massive amounts of information the federal government has been, shall we say, embarrassed as hell to have see the light of day.
Manning has reportedly been treated quite shoddily by his guards since he was placed in pre-trial confinement in May 2010. This isn’t much of a surprise, the military is second-to-none in their ability to indoctrinate enlisted and officer alike into believing the agency is benevolent and to allow civilians to know what happens in combat should be considered treasonous.
Though I certainly support virtually any non-violent attempt to overthrow the government at present, the reality is Manning admitted to transferring information to the fine folks at Wikileaks and though the words and gestures of the US government and Army were certainly undermined by the release, the information thus far has proven mostly embarrassing, not dangerous.
When we allow someone who brought to light questionable behavior on behalf of our government that otherwise would not have been known, there are issues. Anytime an entity begins to behave as heresy against them is possible, the entity has grown too far and they take themselves far too seriously.
Speaking of heresy, this poll conducted by Public Policy Polling, indicates Ron Paul has climbed into sole possession of first place in Iowa. Despite the desires, wishes and intent of the Republican Party and Fox News, the GOP’s propaganda arm, Paul’s popularity is continuing its steady growth and Gerald Celente’s prediction that 2012 would be the year of the internet candidate, is proving true.
Regardless of the statist leanings of both parties with an appropriations bill passed last week allowing for the indefinite detention of American citizens without trial, charge or counsel; and now SOPA granting authority over the internet to the federal government, many Americans on the periphery of politics were jarred out of their slumber last week and have remembered the Constitution is a limit on the federal government and a protection for the people, not the starting point on government power Congress believes it to be.
Fox News blogger John Leboutillier believes Gingrich’s support was coming from the primary voters who aren’t very happy with the Republican Party. The problem is, the Party would love to see Gingrich win the nomination. Read the blog here.
However, Friday evening Ron Paul visited the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and knocked his interview out of the park. He was followed by Joe Rogan, who wholeheartedly endorsed the Congressman from Texas, but it was refreshing to see how well Ron Paul explains his policies and how well he understands the effects of the interconnected activities of the federal government. Paul’s appearance bolstered his Tea Party Day moneybomb and he raised over $4 million during the weekend.
As if Sunday weren’t news heavy already, news from North Korea, Supreme Extraterrestrial Dictator For Eternity Kim Jong Il suffered a heart attack Friday morning aboard a train and was announced dead to the world Sunday afternoon.
The effect his death will have in the nation and region will remain unknown as his youngest son and daughter were poised to take control. His son is rumored to be just as ruthless.
And with the fall of a notorious dictator came the fall of a popular Denver sports team Sunday afternoon when New England’s Patriots came into Denver and beat the Broncos. This was no small feat as Tom Brady & Bill Belichick have losing records to only one franchise in the NFL, and that’s the Broncos. Tebow actually played well and was humble as the week before during his post-game press conference.
Saturday Night Live put together a relatively funny skit for the first time in a while. Though I don’t think it’s entirely fair to Tim Tebow, the media haven’t been terribly accurate in their reporting either (surprise). Enjoy.