What does Jeff Gannon mean?
 

The propaganda machine is impressive. Who let him in? Anyone else find this bizzare tale interesting?

sorry! I should add some linkage: but it wont work Ack. Frank Rich's NYT article
"The White House Stages its 'Daily Show" is what I wanted to link.

What I find most interesting is that, of all the meaningful and dangerous deceptions to come out of the modern Republican party, this one gets the media attention. Hey, look! SEX IS INVOLVED!

But, hey, the Republicans didn't seem to care that what they "got" Clinton on was a lie about a BJ, so whatever.

The sex thing is the laugh, but what's really bizarre is this un-vetted, non-journalist, probable criminal, with all sorts of GOP ties, using a fake name is granted face to face, broadcast access to Bush and the press secretary is claiming ignorance, innocence. And is one more added to an impressive MO of media fakes, and buys.

So who granted, facilitated this yahoo's White House access for the past 2 years? And what is the role of the free press anyway? And who is the free press anymore? What level of propaganda is acceptable? When is it illegal?

And then there is Valerie Plame, dangling out there.

Nothing new here
 

This proganda/plant issue is nothing new. Although the Bush admin, is going a bit far, this type of thing has been going on for eons. It's alarming to some degree especially when you think of the CIA's infiltration into many news organiztions in the 50's and 60's. If you listen to the Nixon tapes, not just the popular Watergate related ones, you see many examples of planted stories and journalists, like Bob Novak, who were "friendly" to the adminstration. The whole sex aspect could be due to some sort of blackmail, Gannon, could be more than just a paid journalist.

-Walrus

Like Novak, he's been linked to the Plame leak. More than propaganda about policy or politics, does this start to reveal a real national security threat? In terms of scandaldom, is he, as some have suggested, the equivalent of a watergate burgler-flunky?

In this envrionment who knows
 

I see your point Warch, but in this envrionment it will be tough to sniff out the scandal and have it stick. But if you look at the recent rash of talk-radio pundits, and other journalists that have now been known to be taking money from the Bush admin., there may be a illegal money trail around somewhere, tracing to something more sinister.

-Walrus

follow the slime trail....

Rich

For the scandals to stick some folks would need to cross the aisle. They may not have any governing principles left but the Repugnants are loyal... or wicked scared of stepping out of line.

Justin has an article on the whole thing. I think this is as good a time as any to remind everyone that this war was officially about nonexistant WMDs. All the bull crap about democracy may have been on the insiders agenda but it was definitely not the main sales pitch made to the American people.

I keep hoping for some sort of check to help start balancing this amazingly secretive, manipulative, powerful executive branch. Journalist,... Judge,... Representative,...anyone????

Well, the good news is that at least Bush believes in "Don't ask, don't tell". :p

So far, the conservative talking-heads consist of a homophobic gay male escort, an Asian-American apologist for Japanese internments, various 'family-focused' multiple divorcees.

It's nice to know that all Osama Bin Laden has to do to get access to the White House is shave his beard and get press credentials from GOP-TV. Has the White House become so starved for ass-kissing press willing to suspend disbelief that they are trolling West Hollywood for recruits?

The Republicans are indifferent and loath to involve themselves in anything that might become a scandal to their party. Nothing new there. I am rather impressed by the continued nonchalance of the American people, however. I think we have come to expect nothing but the worst from those in high office, and those in high office are happy to meet this expectation.

:thumbsup:

One has to wonder how someone with such easily refutable credentials was able to get within pistol distance of the president

Well, there is THAT small ray of sunshine! :cool:

Obviously by invitation. :yelsick:

Well, we have been building this imperial Presidency a long time. It has a lot of momentum in its favor. Now let's say the Democrats ever win the White House, are they going to hand any power back to Congress or better yet to the people? Remember that the Repugs felt the same way about Clinton... Johnson... Truman... FDR and always increased Presidential power when they had their guys in place. This is too cheerful, I'm gonna grab a book and hit the sack.

What happened is that the White House exploited 9/11 and grabbed whatever power it could in the following months. This will not be the first adminstration in the world to extend 'emergency powers' indefinitely, just the first in the U.S.

And people think I'm a paranoid conspiracy theorist ...

According to X-Files lore, FEMA is the power behind the throne.

They can do a lot of stuff that doesn't have anything to do with disaster management ...

Let's not forget REX 84.

Pics?

That's what Mulder said!

The proceedings of Iran-Contra tell the tale
 

The major revelation about Rex 84 came in 1986/87 durning the Iran-Contra hearings. While discussing Oliver North's position, it was discovered and made known that in case of nuclear war, Oliver North would have effectively been given control of the US under the FEMA infrastructre for disaster operations, ie all out nuclear or biologic warfare. Obviously interment is nothing new, as seen in the WWII experience. The breadth of the federal government has become too expansive, and has only gotten worse since the Cold War, the last great expansion of its power, now with the "War on terror" essentially WWIV we should anticipate more complex and pernicious programs designed not to save the lives of average Americans, but simply to protect and prolong the soveirgnty of the US Federal government.

-Walrus

"Democracies always reflect a country's culture and customs and I know that," said Bush. "But they have certain things in common: they have rule of law, and protection of minorities, a free press and a viable political opposition. "
:lol2:

I'm sorry, but considering the Gerrymandering in Texas and the wall of silence the adminstration has constructed between itself and the press corps, I find that statement highly amusing.