The Sheep and the Media Shepherd

"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." James Madison

I watched for years as the CBC in Canada demonized western conservative politicians because they threatened the Eastern Establishment. The media manipulation was so obvious it was sickening. It happens south of the border too. When President Clinton was drowning in the criminality of his Administration, from involvement in Whitewater bribery to the many "suicides" of associates, the media chose to focus on a sexual scandal that would suck up all the airtime and titillate the public.

Now, the media is feeding us a constant diet of Rep. Foley sex scandal as if it were the most important thing happening in the world. Dirt on Foley has been known for months if not years in Washington. Why did the media sit on it until now? Why, to trot it out when a snow-job is needed. What is this sex scandal covering for? Some say it is a partisan plot to hurt the Republicans before the election in November. Others say it is to create a replacement excuse for the Republican meltdown over Iraq. The real reason is the controversial "Terrorism Detainee Bill", which happened to pass Congress the exact same time the Foley Scandal broke. The bill:

• Allows the indefinite imprisonment of any U.S. or non-citizen (eliminates the right of Habeas Corpus) at the will of the President
• Allows the President to define what torture is permissible under the Geneva Convention
• Allows incriminating evidence to be obtain through "coercive interrogation tactics" (i.e. simulated drowning call "waterboarding" that was used by the KGB on "unlawfuls" such as Alexander Solzhenitsyn)
• Gives members of the current administration retroactive immunity for any war crimes committed after 9-11-2001
• Is justified by a war against terrorism that has no end.

How significant is a online sex-chat in the face of these implications?