Sen. Franken awakens AG Holder to Comcast/NBCU issue

By GottaLaff

A little reminder, via Wiki:

On December 3, 2009, GE and US cable TV operator Comcast announced a buyout agreement for NBC Universal. If the transaction completes, and pending regulatory approval, Comcast would own 51% of NBC Universal while GE would own 49%.

Al Franken has a thing or two to say about that, and A.G. Holder's ears perked up.

US Attorney General Eric Holder thought he was in a Senate Judiciary hearing about Guantanamo Bay – but Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) took the opportunity to grill the AG about the DOJ review of the proposed merger of Comcast and NBCU. Holder was circumspect, but did confess to being interested as a private citizen thanks to his status as Comcast subscriber.

Franken expressed concerns about the merger, according to a Washington Post Report, including the possibility of setting off a wave of similar mergers between other media giants that could leave the nation with essentially five sources of information.

As it stands now, we could do with a few more sources of information. America is already woefully ill-informed. And an misinformed, uninformed, dumbed-down electorate is the downfall of democracy.

If I sound like a broken record, it's because it is vital that this message get repeated over and over again until enough people hear it, believe it, and do something about it.

Electing Al Franken was a great first step.

H/t: Al Franken on Twitter

Perpetuating lies must stop or real democracy ceases to exist

By GottaLaff

I'm watching MSNBC as I type this. Forgive the stream-of-consciousness, but sometimes it's easier to communicate that way:

The GOP is reacting to the health care bill bill signing. What an accomplishment that was, and how proud we should be. The Democrats faced so many obstacles that attaining their goal was in real doubt.

But as Vice President Biden said to the president at the signing, "this is a big f'ing deal."

But back to the Rushpublic reaction on the Tee Vee Machine:

Jon Cornyn reiterated the GOP meme that the Democrats were determined "to shove this down the throat of American people". Those would be the very same American people who voted in a guy named Barack Hussein Obama by a landslide, and gave the Democrats the majorities in Congress, because they wanted this bill, or one very much like it. Yeah, Cornyn, those people.

He then cited a CNN poll, perpetuating even more lies. Here is the poll he cited, along with the factual breakdown. Ed Schultz gets kudos for immediately correcting the record, which was refreshing and admirable.

But you know who didn't do that? Chris Matthews.

Earlier today, one of his guests (I was in the other room, so I can't identify her) cited the same poll, repeated the same misleading information, and Matthews said nothing. No. Thing.

I started screaming obscenities. If the media refuse to report news accurately, we get a dumbed-down electorate, and real democracy ceases to exist. Think about that.

And this is exactly what the GOP wants: A dumbed-down electorate. That way, more and more voters believe what they're told by the careless, lazy, bought-and-paid-for corporate media, and more and more elections reflect a badly uninformed and misinformed population.

There you have it: one more thing to fight tooth and nail. We need to educate America, starting right now... Or else, this happens.

I hope this post is a start.

"Fear. It is eating the world alive, and we are leading the way once again."

By GottaLaff

If you're already experience nausea from SCROTUS's United Corporations of America decision, grab some Compazine, because I'm about to induce more:

Yes, Fear. It is eating the world alive, and we are leading the way once again.

This week the Supreme Court of the United States, the last hope for the people, shocked us, no stunned us, writing that not only are corporations “people” but also that they have a right to “free speech” as guaranteed under the Constitution. It appears that the majority of Justices – all placed in their high-backed leather chairs by men of greed – forgot that corporations are “fictitious” persons giving them rights in civil law, not some constitutional protection to engage in wholesale deceit and propaganda.

Remember the right to free speech carries with it the potential to lie. [...]

This decision will spread its ugliness throughout the land, perhaps enveloping the earth like a disease, and deny freedom of information to the people of the world. This may be more terrifying than the loss of free speech itself, for the loss of free information here is defined as the loss the truth.

That is a message that dovetails with one I've posted about often: Loss of truth, the spread of misinformation and lies, the dumbing down and "brainwashing" of America, all contribute to the increasing erosion of a real democracy.

The fewer people who understand the issues, the more uneducated voters will prevail at the ballot box.

H/t: 1Kecko

Shoe on the other foot: 'Shoe monument' in Iraq taken down one day after it was unveiled

By GottaLaff

Remember this uplifting story? So much for the new, "democratic", free-speech-oriented Iraq:

The monument commemorating the journalist who hurled his shoes at President Bush was taken down a day after it was erected, local officials in Tikrit told CNN. [...]

But officials from Salaheddin province told CNN that the monument was removed after a request from the central government, which has charges pending against al-Zaidi [Bush's shoe-thrower]— now in an Iraqi jail.

After the request was made, Iraqi police visited the location to make sure that the shoe monument was removed.

"We will not allow anyone to use the government facilities and buildings for political motives," said Abdullah Jabara, Salaheddin deputy governor.

Al-Zaidi's angry gesture touched a defiant nerve throughout the Arab and Muslim world. He is regarded by many people as a hero and demonstrators last month took to the streets in the Arab world and called for his release. [...]

The orphans helped al-Amiri build the $5,000 structure in 15 days, said Faten Abdulqader al-Naseri, the orphanage director.

"Those orphans who helped the sculptor in building this monument were the victims of Bush's war," Al-Naseri said. "The shoe monument is a gift to the next generation to remember the heroic action by the journalist." [...]

One of his brothers told CNN he "in good health and is being treated well." [...]

By tradition, throwing a shoe, is the most insulting act in the Arab world.

I'd like to correct what I wrote at the top of the post. Iraq is, indeed, a democracy: A Bush democracy. Let's hope that President Obama will have a more positive influence.