Category Archives: Commentary
Articles that we compose based on various sources of information as well as our own opinion.
How Pro-Life Media Can Kill
How soon we forget how lethal anti-abortion political media can be. Following the death of Dr. Tiller, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow ran a special called The Assassination of Dr. Tiller which described the history and developments leading up to the tragic events.
One main high profile media attacker of Dr. Tiller was (and still is) Bill O’Reilly of FOX News. His relentless attacks are well documented in many places including Salon.com, Wikipedia, and the New York Times. As expected, Bill O’Reilly retaliated against the “left wing loons” by claiming he was just reporting what others were saying, which PolitiFact and Media Matters rated as False.
Indiana University School of Journalism – 2007 O’Reilly study generates national attention: Professor Mike Conway looks at the situation systematically, dispassionately.
Crooks & Liars: Rachel Maddow Show: Frank Schaeffer on How Hate Speech Leads to Violent Acts
Democratic Presidential Candidate Randall Terry using Tim Tebow to promote extreme anti-choice ad: “Defend Tim Tebow: Give to a Pro-Life 2012 Super Bowl Ad’ Campaign Begins“
Three years after Dr. Tiller’s assassination, we have the 2012 presidential election. Anti-choice Operation Rescue founder and convict Randall Terry, a fake Democrat running against President Obama who Terry says is “slaughtering children”, wants to show graphic anti-abortion ads during the Februray 5, 2012 Super Bowl XLVI that will apparently show aborted fetuses (see low quality video below). Because it is political and not a commercial advertisement, the FCC has a 45 day rule banning censoring political ads ahead of an election, including primaries.
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Wikipedia: Activist Randall Terry has said he is planning to run an ad featuring graphic photos of aborted fetuses during Super Bowl XLVI. It is unlikely that Terry will be allowed to air the ad, given that the networks have a policy under equal time rules to reject all political and issue related advertising during the Super Bowl.
To be honest, it is unclear if there is anything that can be done other than to raise our voices in protest. Perhaps purchase airtime to promote gay marriage showing two guys kissing… that would be enough to generate massive outrage, but accusing the president of slaughtering children and showing abortions? Just what the Doctor ordered!
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Ever wondered what happen to Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s Nipplegate? Well it seems it’s finally all said and done, everything was eventually thrown out. But an interesting side note: according to Wikipedia, “The media watchdog group Parents Television Council (PTC) issued a statement that same day condemning the halftime show, announcing that their members would file indecency complaints with the FCC and the council supported the FCC’s decision to investigate the halftime show immediately.” That group, Parents Television Council, is one of the conservative media watchdogs founded by L Brent “Obama looks like a ‘skinny, ghetto crackhead‘” Bozell. If FOX News had a rabid activist hell bent on destroying all things liberal, it would be Brent Bozell. Bozell works with many media activist groups, including the Catholic League, ForAmerica, FOX News, and Media Research Center that Bozell founded: The Media Research Center operates on a self-reported $10 million annual budget, using what it calls “the most comprehensive media monitoring operation in the world” to track major televised broadcasts and print news with the goal of “documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.”.
The question is, will Bozell’s right wing media advocacy group Parents Television Council file FCC complaints against an aborted fetus like they did about Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction? Is their definition of “decency” limited to only right wing decency or does it represent all decency? Is a dead baby more decent than a nipple?
- FindLaw blogger Stephanie Rabiner: Court Throws Out CBS’s Janet Jackson Super Bowl ‘Wardrobe Malfunction’
- Parents Television Council: PTC Condemns Court Decision Overturning Super Bowl Striptease Indecency Fine
Washington Post: Going, going, gone: NBC sold out of advertising spots for February’s Super Bowl
It’s perfectly clear to this observer that Randall Terry is not running a serious campaign for presidency. The primary goal seems to be an anti-abortion attack on the President so Terry can broadcast and “normalize” his message that President Obama is a “baby killer”. Not to mention cash in on the lucrative “anti-abortion industry” as well as further his group’s goal of denying women the right to their own bodies, and preaching intolerance against homosexuality. This kind of emotional attack of gruesome imagery of abortions and extremely disturbing thoughts can impact the viewer or listener in very traumatizing ways. This reaction can lead to stochastic terrorism in unstable individuals such as Scott Roeder, Dr. Tiller’s murderer. It wouldn’t be the first time that extreme anti-abortion imagery in the media caused someone to become violent enough to terrorize and murder people. The pen is mightier than the sword and when vitriolic words combine with audio and disturbing video, those ads become an army of sword wielding soldiers coming into your living room to terrorize your children. If it was a gay male orgy campaigning for a candidate, there’s no way it would be broadcast. It shouldn’t. Neither should such a controversial issue as abortions during a time when children are guaranteed to be present.
Advocate: 31 year old adopted gay son of anti-choice and anti-gay activist Randall Terry dead in car crash.
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After seeing such an obscene ad, the parents will likely need to explain to their children what abortion is and how the ads can say things like “Romney and Obama are slaughtering children”. What can be done? A parental advisory sticker before the ad? Can’t the Super Bowl just reject all political ads? I guess we’ll just have to get used to it, unless you would like to join us and let your voice be heard:
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 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl XLVI |
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Super Bowl Address: 425 West South Street, Indianapolis, IN 46225 |
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 National Football League (NFL) |
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NFL Mailing Address: 280 Park Ave. 15th Floor, New York, NY 10017. NFL Phone (212) 450-2000 NFL FAX (212) 681-7599 |
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 Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Click Here to File an FCC Decency Complaint POSTAL ADDRESS: |
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From FCC:
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Sign the Change.org Petition to Chairman, Federal Communications Commission: Forbid the airing of a graphic anti-choice ad during the Super Bowl
Sign Activist Blogger Lynn Hamilton’s Care2 petition on facebook to Get Dead Fetuses Out of the Superbowl!
In this observer’s view, this is not about the freedom of speech, but is very closely shaving the edge of it. It’s about simple decency during family programming, which doesn’t even apply to all cable or satellite channels. Yes, we must always be very careful about what we determine is “indecent”, but the Super Bowl is not the place for controversial politics, it is the place for Families and Children to get together and enjoy an all-American sport, in this observer’s humble opinion. Some politics are way too toxic at this point for viewing by minors. Injecting some of the worst toxic imagery into our already unraveling social cohesion could have very lethal results. Just ask Doctor George Tiller.
Media-manipul-opoly
Every now and then, the truth slips out. Fourteen years ago in 1998, a TV Funhouse skit for Saturday Night Live about media monopolies was shown once, then banned for allegedly not being “funny” enough. Yet for the comedy it lacked, its truth took up the slack.
From Huffington Post:
“In March of 1998, the popular “TV Funhouse” cartoon segment on “Saturday Night Live” featured one particularly political short called “Conspiracy Theory Rock!”. In it, corporations like GE and FOX were depicted as a “media-opoly,” and their cartoon figureheads devoured smaller news companies in a scathing “School House Rock” parody (a controversial move at the time, considering GE owned NBC).”
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Law of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment,news reporting, teaching, scholarship,and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
So who gives a crap if media companiess form huge monopolies? Maybe then I will finally be able to fit more Kardashians in to my daily schedule!
Yes, we all hope to do that, but there is a reason that businesses tend to monopolize: Power. What power does the media have? Control over our thoughts, our lives, our choices, our government, our laws, everything – because we allow it by trusting what we see. Sadly, there aren’t enough people that simply want to shut off their hypnotelevisions to make a significant impact in the propaganda being promulgated straight into their minds.
Thanks to the Citizens United decision of 2010, the Media Empires have discovered an UNLIMITED new blood vein from which to suck UNLIMITED amounts of funds from politicians who are using that media airtime to, for the most part, convince you to vote against your own best interests. Particularly the Republicans who not only lie out loud, but use fabricated ideologies to make you think if we just eliminate regulations on corporations and cut all social programs, prosperity will flourish. The above SNL Skit includes a brief slide on this very subject.
Q: Who gains from Citizens United?
A: The Media Monopolies, the Corporate powers who stand to gain from friendly legislation, and the Politicians who use them for power.
Q: Where does all that money come from?
A: From donations to political campaigns, often in huge sums from anonymous donors funneled through Super PACs and other fabricated entites. Some of that also comes from small individual donations, but when it comes to pro-corporate politicians, the money flows from big pockets.
Imagine how all those millions could help the economy, feed the hungry, heal the sick, educate the next generation…
Q: Where does all that advertisement money GO?
A: To the Media-opolies.
Media manipulation is now sold to the highest unlimited bidder who only has two things in mind when they plunk down those huge wads of cash to get airtime: Power and Money. Not the power to be the best selling toilet paper or healthiest candy bar on earth… but the power to parasitically drain the life blood from the consumer and throw them away while continuing to consolidate their power at the expense of freedom, fairness, the environment, life and the world. Right now a very controversial pair of bills called SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (PROTECT IP Act) are being supported by the major media networks that experts believe will severely inhibit freedom and innovation by turning the internet into a cyber police state. Fortunately for now, the Obama Administration recently came out against these two bills.Notably, there has been a near media black-out of coverage by the same media networks that support these bills.
The power the media networks have over their victims/viewers is strong partly because the victims willingly relinquish their minds to the images and sounds pushed into their homes. Often we already agree with most of the stuff coming from our preferred media networks, so it fits like a glove. We who have broken free from the powerful hypnosis of the media have the responsibility to try to save anyone we can from the death-grip of this parasitic disease. In most cases, the only way to drive a stake into the heart of the lies and propaganda, is by sharing the truth, repeatedly, annoyingly. Never stop shining the light of truth, no matter how futile it may seem. Someone may be learning from you, you just may not know it.
Additional Reading:
The New Media Monopoly, by Ben Bagdikian
Monopoly Media Manipulation, by Michael Parenti, May 2001.
It’s up to us
“The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” ~ Plato
The Citizens United v. FEC decision was a major turning point in the corporate movement to seize our government, nation and world. With the power of the media now unleashed for political influence and corruption, all the powers-that-be need to do is tilt public opinion enough to set the stage for corporate wins on election day. That increases the amount of corporate politicians in power who then set policies that are not just “pro-business”, but intentionally sabotage, paralyze or destroy anything that restricts their unquenchable blood-lust for greed. The ultimate goal is a fascist takeover of America. We will only have ourselves to blame when that takeover is complete.
“The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism—ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power.” ~ Franlink Delano Roosevelt [Read Article]
Occupy Your Local Media 
Romney the Outsource King
Mar 20
Posted by Citizen Observer
More good jobs for India, more profit in Romney’s pocket!
Mitt Romney’s company, Bain Capital, from which he made his fortune, boasts on their website about their Outsourcing Acumen.
It takes about 10 Indian Employees to make up 1 American Employee in pay. Why would they hire American for ten times as much?
4/04/2012: See the Countries to which Mitt Romney has sent American Jobs
Mitt Romney Chief Adviser: Romney Is Like ‘Etch A Sketch’
Republicans are the Kings of Outsourcing
In October 2004, George W Bush signed several tax breaks and other measures which rewarded companies for sending jobs overseas. This practice had begun in earnest around 2000, but the lid blew off the top after Bush signed this legislation.
In 2010, Democrats introduced a bill that would prohibit firms from taking deductions for business expenses associated with expanding operations in other countries. Republicans blocked it and derided it as “election year politics”. Republicans won the election, while American jobs continued to be lost. Where are the Jobs Jobs Jobs Republicans ran on in 2010? In a uterus somewhere they haven’t found yet?
As if that wasn’t a slap in the face to Americans who needed good paying jobs, the Republicans DID IT AGAIN when they obstructed Democrat’s attempts to make it more difficult for companies to outsource and put Americans out of work and in the bread line so that these companies will be rewarded for hiring slave wage labor in other countries for pennies on the dollar with no labor laws or regulations. Republicans have NO room to talk about anything related to the Economy At All unless they are prepared to Apologize for Destroying it.
Sensing Romney was on the shortlist for Vice President picks in 2008, Michigan Democrats released the following ad:
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