How The Right-Wing Took Over Another Medium Of Dissent

It seems that more and more I refer to Bill Moyers, one of the few remaining major journalists who hasn't succumbed to the Bush administration's shackling of the free press. Challenged by PBS in the docile corporate media coverage by most major media who obediently presented the Bush spin on events, the Republican "powers that be" moved to silence this opposition to their imperial power. Since the US hasn't yet descended to the traditional dictatorship solution of blowing up opposition offices or assassinating editors, and since the PBS is a government funded organisation, they
simply took over the funding organisation of the government.

Moyers blows the whistle on the coup and details the original hopes of public broadcasting which he helped set up. Audio and video clips can be found here

THIS IS THE WAY FREEDOM ENDS. NOT WITH A BANG BUT A WHIMPER.

The IRON HEEL's noose tightens

gatesid

The right-wing Bush administration slipped a "security measure" into a military expenditure bill which was passed by the US Senate yesterday. Naturally few Senators would be seen opposing a Bill which would benefit "our boys in Iraq"

The Bill authorises the US government to institute an internal passport reminiscent of the infamous "required papers" under the Nazi regime in Occupied Europe. It would be required by all US citizens for identification, superceding state drivers licences and any other existing methods of identification. Among other things it would have means of verifying the identity of the ID Card holder up to such things as photos,fingerprints, or retinal eye-scans. It would include such things as home address, phone number, and occupation.

Bill Gates is shown here in an example he volunteered for in a similar Belgian initiative.

Civil liberty organizations have reponded with consternation at the rapidly introduced and passed bill.

That's the way your liberty dies, not with a bang , but a whimper.

US Democracy in Action

Kevin Sites
Originally uploaded by Little Muddy.

Kevan Sites is a freelance journalist who was "embedded" with US troops attacking the insurgents in Fallujah. He originally edited his video leaving out sensitive footage which he felt could enflame the event. He now regrets that decision and has released the full video coverage.

Sites was on assignment for NBC on Nov. 13, 2004, and was following a squad into a mosque that the day before insurgents were using to fire on U.S. troops. The Marines were part of a U.S.-led offensive to clear Fallujah of its insurgent strongholds.

Sites' video shows five men wounded from the previous day's fighting lying on the floor of the mosque. One Marine can be heard shouting to others that a man was only "playing dead."

The Marine corporal in question appears to fire a round from his weapon into the Iraqi's head, and another Marine says, "Dead now."


The U.S. Marine Corps announced that it won't prosecute that Marine corporal, who was not identified, for his actions.

Don Quixote

quijote

I must confess to less than full dilligence to the duty of faithfully blogging the myriad of news items that have passed my outraged comments. I guess like life, it will go in fits and starts. The current state of affairs in the world is so depressing that it becomes difficult to single out any new hypocrisy with anything more than resignation.

Mea Culpa.

But I do continue, not even sure that I reach even as many as in my daily conversations.
And if my contests with windmills fail I can also find a princess to rescue, tho my attempts to save our local bus service was valliant but not greatly successful.


Little Muddy