Politics Critical thinking about the public good I believe that at every level of society - familial, tribal, national and international - the key to a happier and more successful world is the growth of compassion. We do not need to become religious, nor do we need to believe in an ideology. All that is necessary is for each of us to develop our good human qualities. His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso   political clicks Regular reads Prometheus 6 Alas The Left Coaster The Daily Outrage Peevish Mark Fiore Cal Pundit Notes on the Atrocities Occasional Subversion Bohemian Mama Tacitus   prologue July 2003 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31     Jun   Aug Talk to me

Wednesday, July 16, 2003 I am very wary of media-bashing in general because it always seems like over-generalization and simplification and both sides of the aisle seem to be able to find ample examples of their claims that the media is biased.  However, this post from Emma  raises some excellent points about media responsibility that I think are valid from wherever one sits on the political spectrum.  It's a good post and I think the whole thing should be read, but here is a quote: All the evidence for this scandal was there six months ago. If it's a scandal now, why wasn't it then? And if it's responsible to report it now--after we've killed a bunch of civilians and soldiers, and committed ourselves to a $50-billion-a-year quagmire--why wasn't it responsible to report it then? The bottom line for me: What ever happened to political investigative journalism?  10:18:27 PM     What a dissapointment I started visiting Andrew Sullivan's  blog several weeks ago because I am interested in reading intelligent conservative thinkers in an effort to expand my horizons.  While I haven't been particularly blown away by anything I've read so far neither have I thrown up my hands in disgust or frustration.  Until today.  I am sorely dissapointed with his comments today on the Bush Lies/People Die issue. My analysis of the current campaign to impugn the war against Saddam on the WMD issue is that it will fizzle out fast. My prediction is that it will boomerang against those who are busiest hyping it. [...] Tom Friedman is absolutely right. All that really matters right now is that we do all we can to bring about a new, representative government in Iraq. The rest is petty politics from people who are still pissed they lost the war over the war. It's this last sentence that really bugs me.  Sure, I've heard the same sentiment expressed over and over already but I expected more from someone intelligent.  Friedman argues that the most important thing the administration could be doing vis-a-vis Iraq right now is ensuring stability and return to self-governance.  I don't think anyone anywhere on the political spectrum would disagree with this.  But unlike Sullivan, Friedman does not dismiss the matter of whether the Bush admin lied as "petty politics."  Rather he also writes, "The notion that the president may have misled the nation into war, and then blamed it on the C.I.A., is a big story."  I just really don't get how an honest person can say that an investigation into whether the the administration mislead the public and Congress about the urgency and necessity of a PRE-EMPTIVE WAR, is "petty politics."   Our attack on Iraq has had and will continue to have profound and enduring repercussions on the US's relations with the world, our economy, and the lives of Iraqis -- not to mention the thousands of US forces mobilized.  There is a very good reason the Executive branch needs to the Legislative branch's authorization to wage war.  This kind of check and balance is essential to a democracy. Egads this is elementary civics! Do we really need to explain to people why it matters that Bush wasn't honest about why he wanted to go to war?  If he is not honest to Congress then it subverts the whole democratic process in this country.   How can people not see that?! 10:01:02 PM     That awful "bambi" story In general, I am not interested in saying what has already been said six dozen times elsewhere.  So, aside from making a few comments on other folks' blogs who were giving this atrociousness a passing chuckle, I haven't addressed it.  But Christine Cupaiuolo's commentary here is particularly interesting because she deconstructs the news reporting of this story instead of going for the easy target - the mysogynists themselves.   1:52:54 PM     © 2003 ibyx Last Update: 8/3/2003; 12:10:38 AM