Apocalypse Forever Meets the Free Press

[McCamy Taylor]

Back in early 2001, I wrote a number of angry letters, mostly to Supreme Court (in)Justices, but one was to Ralph Nader. Because I had bothered to do my homework, I knew that George W. Bush was not the same as Al Gore, and I had a clue what to expect from his administration, so I thanked Nader in advance for inflated oil prices and another mideast war. Like most people, even politically savy people, I had no idea what was coming. Bush-Cheney did not campaign as the Two Horsemen of the Apocalypse. They adopted these roles in office.

It did not take them long. By April, James Baker III was already recommending that Saddam be removed from power in Iraq to stabilize the US's oil supply. By that summer, the administration was considering military action against the Taliban which had rejected its friendly overtures on behalf of cash strapped Enron which wanted to build a gas pipeline across Afghanistan. 9/11 gave Bush-Cheney an excuse to launch both wars. It also allowed the VP to enact legislation which he had been planning in spring of 2001 for increased federal power to collect data on US citizens. No wonder Republicans give cheers and applause when 9/11 is mentioned. The deaths of 3000 Americans in a mountain of rubble proved to be like Christmas for the administration. Republican poll numbers soared. Article II became the justification for any abuse of power. The war effort proved to be a bonanza for Halliburton, which had been saddled with asbestos debt by Cheney. The oil companies and Saudi Arabia, which employs Bush Sr. through the Carlyle Group, made out like bandits due to the high price of oil from a constant state of mid east war. Best of all, as generations of poor white southerners had proved, you can get people to vote against their best economic interest if you scare them enough. Time after time, the administration held up the spectre of the New Angry Black Male---the Angry Muslim Terrorist.

The key to this All Terra All the Time strategy was a lock down on the mainstream media. Karl Rove achieved that around 2000 by convincing media owners that the administration had the power to relax federal rules to allow the creation of unlimited media monopolies. This promise bought the loyalty of the press through the 2004 election. With the press solidly behind them, Bush-Cheney and the RNC could convince America that danger lurked behind every corner, and only complete Republican control of the three branches of the federal government would keep it in check.

The loyalty of the press was lost in the early part of 2005 when Michael Powell, outgoing FCC Chairman and son of Colin Powell revealed that the administration had never had the power to deliver on its promise of media monopolies. Karl Rove had played the press for fools. With its stranglehold on the news media lost, the administration found itself subject to criticism--and there was a lot to criticize. Polls numbers dropped into the toilet. Something had to be done.

Maybe if Bush was more than a figurehead nursing his image or if Cheney was not so power mad or if Rove was not so infatuated with W. different, better decisions would have been made. However, Cheney wanted power, Bush wanted to appear strong, and Rove wanted Bush to be happy. So, when the press stopped presenting a perfectly scripted image of a world besieged by danger with two men holding back the tide of chaos, the Bush administration set to work making that image real. In order to do that, Bush and Cheney became the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Since January 2005, Bush-Cheney and the GOP have:

1. Used an old Iran-contra figure to arm a Shia militia in Iraq, possibly with the Pentagon's missing weapons. The same militia is now partly responsible for the civil war and is killing US troops--->visible result, carnage in Iraq

2. Chosen to leave the area of Iraq most vulnerable to Al Qaeda infiltration, the Sunni Anbar province, alone--with predictable results. Now, Al Qaeda is part of the equation, and Bush can say truthfully he is fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq----visible result, more carnage in Iraq.

3. Placed Saddam's nuclear and chemical weapons secrets on line for the whole world (including Iran and North Korea) to see. Coincidentally, North Korea has successfully tested a nuclear bomb during this time---> visible result, mushroom cloud.

4. Left the nation's airlines vulnerable to chemical weapons attacks for months after being informed of the threat in order to heighten the perceived threat of the British Liquid Terra plot once it was revealed to the public--->visible result, long lines at airports a la Sept 2001.

5. All but given up on Afghanistan, where the Taliban is emerging as a new force to be reckoned with--and where women are once again being oppressed--->visible result, carnage in Afghanistan.

6. Encouraged Israel to invade Lebanon in hopes of drawing Syria and Iran into a war---> visible results, a solid month of death and destruction in Lebanon.

7. Attacked the Constitution with words "It is just a piece of paper" (Bush), actions (Al Gonzales refuses to enforce it) and finally by passing laws to amend it in order to strip Americans of their rights in a move that is obviously designed to intimidate critics of the administration-->visible results,Jose Padilla.

8. Attacked the integrity of the voting process by openly passing Voting Rights Act violating laws, rubber stamped these laws (Gonzales) despite repeated federal court admonishments, failed to act upon voter concerns about election security and blocked Democratic efforts to act upon voter concerns--->visible results, voting chaos in this years primaries.

9. Continued economic and social policies such a tax breaks for the wealthy, abolishing higher education programs for the poor, encouraging a system which sends higher paying jobs out of the country which causes increasing income disparity which is linked to rises in homicide, suicide, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, domestic violence and increased overall mortality rate--->visible results, murders of school girls.

10. Censored government scientists in order to facilitate industries which pollute the environment or contribute to global warming or disease such as autism---> visible results, Al Gore come back.

Plus spied on Americans, tortured prisoners, paid journalists, conducted disinformation programs, lied to the American people--and bragged about doing it. Face it. They want us to be afraid. They are the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Now that the press wont play by their rules, they have to scare the hell out of us themselves. And they are doing a damn fine job of it. The only thing we haven't seen is Bush with his finger on the red button saying "I double dog dare you." I am expecting that one on Monday night in a special message from the White House.


That is a lot to be afraid of. So why are GOP and Bush-Cheney poll numbers so low? Why aren't people afraid? Why are they angry instead--angry at Bush/Cheney, rather than at the terrorists? Ask Ralph Waldo Emerson. "Knowledge is the antidote to fear." You can not control people with fear if you do not control the press. I guess if Bush was not so dumb, he would know that. I wonder what Cheney and Rove's excuses are?

[nofurylike]

1. well said, and powerful. i'm sorry to say that EVERY act of that

effin megalomaniac is with the absolutely clear understanding by all that his finger is on that button every second.

i'm sorry.


peace and solidarity


(also sorry to post as i rush through. will check tomorrow.)

[democrank]

2. The "free" press is nearly as culpable

as the Bushies, at least those of the "mainstream" variety. To my way of thinking, this is one of the most disturbing sub-plots of the Bush Era...the media`s willingness to disregard the truth in exchange for access.

Tough, serious questions were replaced with regurgitation of talking points and follow-ups were replaced with Press Corps cluster chuckles. The height of the pile of dead soldiers was nearly meaningless once Rumsfeld cracked his joke or Snow charmed them with an I`m-really-one-of you.

The press and their handlers knew zillions of Americans lazily got their news in drive-by fashion.
Thirty seconds of this, fifteen seconds of that, the perfect setting for shallow fluff. Substantive reporting takes money, so foreign bureaus might as well be closed down in honor of the bottom line. The only exceptions were the "human interest" stories about missing white women. White phosphorus melting the skin off children "over there" wasn`t as sexy as Tom Cruise jumping on a couch.

Thanks to the media`s inability to gloss over Bush`s inaction during Hurricane Katrina, Americans are finally beginning to stir, taking their first steps toward catching up with the rest of the world. As relieved as I am about that, I`m certain we`ll be haunted by Bush`s policies for a long time to come. Let`s hope Tuesday is our first step toward restoring accountability.