We’re Safer, But We’re Not Safe…We’re Outer, But We’re Not Out…

(NEWSWEEK) Patriotism or Politics? President Bush called for unity in his latest speech, but in reality, he was gearing up for a bruising fall campaign.

(CNN) Transcript of Bush Speech

(Keith Olbermann Blog) This hole in the ground

How is it that Olberman is the only commentator in network or cable news who dares to tell the truth these days? I guess it’s not surprising when the events of 9/11 meant nothing to the man leading our country but a political opportunity and continue to mean only that. You read headline after headline about Democrats being upset at the Bush. Well, I’m NOT a Democrat and I’m DAMN upset about where he has led our nation, about his lies, about his sabotage of the constitution, about his war for his oil cronies. Get it right, news media, this isn’t about Democrats and Republicans, this is about democracy and demagoguery. Do we have to prove Plato right?

In the meantime, investigative reporter Greg Palast has been slapped with criminal charges Palast Charged with Journalism in the First Degree for “unauthorized filming of a ‘critical national security structure’ in Louisiana,” i.e., an oil refinery right next to a Katrina evacuee encampment still filled with 73,000 people made homeless for the last year…maybe they’re still homeless as punishment for looking at the refinery every day? Welcome to the police state.

This Is ONE Fish Story That Won’t Be One Of Dubya’s Greatest Moments As President…

(Newsday) ‘Intersex’ bass discovered in Potomac River

(WashPost) Male Bass Across Region Found to Be Bearing Eggs: Pollution Concerns Arise In Drinking-Water Source

(SeattleTimes) Best moment as president was catching a largemouth bass, Bush says

That’s Going Too Far: Bush’s fish story, part II

I think this cartoon (and its source stories) speaks for itself, but what I want to talk about is the impending 9/11 Fifth Anniversary mediablitz, and especially, the “docu-drama” going to be shown on ABC that purports to be based on the 9/11 Commission Report, but contains a whole host of inaccuracies, all to the benefit of the current administration. Seems they had themselves vetted by the Republican committee chair and promised Rush Limbaugh through a friend that it would skewer the Clinton administration. Now, ordinarily, I’m very laissez-faire in the free speech department, but I believe that common carriers like television networks have a duty not to promulgate propaganda, particularly when, as originally planned, this docudrama was going to be shown to school kids in study programs. Fortunately, SCHOLASTIC has decided NOT to support it with study materialsScholastic squashes ‘The Path to 9/11’ guide (replacing them with materials “focusing on media literacy, critical thinking and historical background.”), but heck, a lot of ADULTS are going to watch this and think it’s basically a dramatization of the 9/11 report, which seems to be FAR from the case. Anyway, check out Media Matters for more information. Think Progress has a petition here if you care to protest. The innocent victims of 9/11 deserve to be memorialized by the truth, not by partisan fingerpointing. ABC claims that any criticism is misplaced because “editing” had not yet been finished…less than a week before the showing of a five-hour miniseries? Oh, yeah 🙂

UPDATE: MoveOn.Org has this to say: “In a little over 48 hours, ABC will air a five-hour “docudrama” on the 9/11 attacks. The movie was written and produced by a right-wing activist who fabricated key scenes to blame Democrats and defend Republicans.1 It’s so partisan that even Rush Limbaugh was surprised ABC decided to air it.2 And an FBI agent who was brought in to consult on the docudrama quit because, he said, “they were making things up.”3 …It’s not just that ABC’s movie is slanted. Big parts of it are simply untrue. The producer himself even admitted to simply improvising a key scene which depicts the Clinton administration letting bin Laden go when they had him in their sights[^]a complete fabrication.5 Last night, the movie’s star, Harvey Keitel, said “It turned out not all the facts were correct.”6” Click here to sign MoveOn’s petition going to ABC.

Sorry, There’s Nothing In The Archives About JonBenet Ramsey

Now I KNOW that the most important news story in the world at the moment is whether or not this nutcase who seems to have been in Alabama at the time of the JonBenet Ramsey killing had astrally projected himself to Boulder Colorado in order to accidentally kill her with a garrot, having drugged her without any drugs being discovered in the autopsy (oh yeah, his name in John Mark Karr and he’s been living in a Bangkok bang shop for the last two months, with the media adding the salacious detail that many CHILDREN are brought there by pedophiles, something I’m sure is so rare in Bangkok to be worthy of note), but given my lack, I think that perhaps this entry from 2005 is a bit more to the point of our continuing obsession with making the skies safe by inconveniencing all innocent travelers (You don’t think this will happen in first-class do you? terrrists don’t put out for first-class seating). Now you can’t bring on liquids. Of course, flying dehydrates people so they absolutely need to continually be drinking SOMETHING (everything EXCEPT alcohol which dehydrates you further, but some people are still so scared of flying that the only way they can get through the ordeal is by getting stinkin’ stiff, and they sure ain’t being helped by Homeland Security), but if they don’t serve drinks on a particular flight, I guess you’re just S-O-L. No shave cream, no perfume, no nothing in carry-on luggage, no MP3 players which can be used to detonate your Gatorade, so if you want to bring these things, it’s baggage roulette for ya–will my luggage be there when I am or will it take a sidetrip to San Francisco? When did we become so scared silly? Yeah I know, 9/11 changed EVERYTHING, but seriously, what with warning labels on everything, nothing remotely fun available for children lest it be swallowed or otherwise too dangerous for parents too busy to read age suitability statements. I mean seriously, “Liquid contained inside may be hot” on coffee cups? Are we going to wind up protecting ourselves so much we wind up wrapped in cocoons. Anyway, another of our August 3rd Anniversary Retrospective. Have a Good Weekend Folks!