While I find the Mark Foley scandal to be a distraction from the real issues facing this country, the media coverage of the lurid affair is in full GOP-spin mode and seems to be providing that side of the story, baseless as it is, without any reference to the known facts. Media Matters for America has a page dedicated to the scandal here, and at last count, there were 55 items listed. Jamison Foser’s weekly Media Matters column also has an excellent analysis of CNN’s performance covering the Foley affair.
Let’s look at a few salient facts in this scandal that seem to go unreported whenever any republican/conservative blowhard or politician is allowed to speak on this topic.
Fact: The original source of the e-mails was a former GOP aide who has been characterized as a “longtime republican” by both The Hill and ABC News.
Fact: The e-mails were first published on a website dedicated to stopping sexual predators.
Fact: GOP leadership has known about Foley’s behavior for some time, but never addressed it.
Even though these facts are well established, the media continues to allow conservatives like Dennis Hastert to push conspiracy theories stating that the scandal has been orchestrated by Democrats and possibly financed by George Soros. Hastert even invoked the name of Bill Clinton, the right’s favorite punching bag, and suggested that people associated with him might have had something to do with the disclosure of the e-mails. These claims are baseless and false, yet the average American might not know that if his source of news was CNN or Fox. Even this Reuters story is heavily slanted toward the GOP spin: Many conspirators seen behind Foley scandal.
Where’s that liberal media bias when you need it? Of course, it doesn’t exist, unless your definition of bias is the reporting of facts that are inconvenient to the Republican party line. So, in the liberal media bias world (like the one that the Media Research Center lives in), the simple reporting of the facts in the Foley story is evidence of said bias. However, notice how the “liberal” media have turned the story on its head by promoting the story line that Democrats have engineered the scandal during the election season for political gain. Other conservative and religious figures have gone on record blaming our permissive culture for allowing Gay and Lesbians to be accepted in society. Some people have even blamed the boys involved.
This perfectly highlights the difference between the perception of liberal media bias and conservative media bias. Liberal media bias is the reporting of facts that don’t align with the GOP view of the world; conservative media bias is misinformation and lies that are uncritically reported and allowed to stand as truth. You decide which is going on in the Foley scandal.
Last night while driving home, I was searching for traffic reports on AM radio when I came upon one of the least intelligent voices in our media today, Sean Hannity. What possessed me to listen to the man for a few minutes, I don’t know, but here is a recap of what I heard. Hannity’s diatribe was in the context of the Foley scandal and he was referring to a Gay Pride parade in San Francisco some years ago when a controversial leader in the Gay Community, whose name I didn’t quite get, was marching. Apparently, this particular man is an advocate of older men having sexual relationships with teenage boys, so presumably Mark Foley’s behavior wouldn’t be offensive to this person. Well, also marching in this particular Gay Pride parade in San Francisco, and apparently in relative proximity to the aforementioned controversial figure, was California Representative Nancy Pelosi.
At this point, Hannity stated something to the effect of “I wonder if the media are going to report this” with that tone of his indicating that he knows full well that they won’t. So, Nancy Pelosi was marching in a parade with a man who endorses sexual relations between older men and teenage boys. In Hannity World, this must mean that:
a) Nancy Pelosi endorses Mark Foley’s behavior.
b) Mark Foley is a Democrat (as mis-identified by both Fox and AP!).
c) Mark Foley is Nancy Pelosi in disguise.
d) All of the above
Is Hannity this much of a simpleton? Well, yeah, but that’s not my point. Just because one appears at an event with other people doesn’t mean that one assumes and endorses the views of everyone at that event. If David Duke appears at a Republican event, is every Republican at the event a racist who endorses the KKK? No, and Nancy Pelosi doesn’t have any culpability in the Foley scandal no matter how much the intellectually challenged Sean Hannity wants to try and suggest it.
The most glaring omission in media coverage in this affair is the questioning of Republicans over why they didn’t do anything about Foley when they have known about his behavior for years? The answer to that question is rather simple, yet repugnant. The Republican Party isn’t about doing the right thing – it’s about doing whatever it takes to stay in power. The Foley scandal is just the latest example of that mission in action. It’s too bad that the mission to stay in power is incongruent with doing the right thing.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Sunday, October 01, 2006
A Serious Blow to Freedom
In my most recent post, Rewriting History, I stated that there are some disturbing parallels between the Bush Regime’s approach to power and that of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. The Military Commissions Act that the House and Senate passed this week for President Bush’s signature is a spectacular example of such a parallel.
In the 1930’s, the Nazis were able to imprison and detain enemies of the state indefinitely under the guise of “protective custody”. The idea was that these people would not be safe in public because of their views so the Nazis set up a legal apparatus, protective custody in concentration camps, to rid themselves of their enemies and any other undesirable elements. Anyone not fully invested in the goals of the Nazi Party was a candidate for such treatment.
The legislation passed last Thursday essentially gives the Bush Administration the same power except that the key designation is “enemy combatant”. The power to designate a person as an enemy combatant lies within the Executive branch and there is no oversight. Virtually anyone, including all American citizens, can be deemed an enemy combatant, and those who are, cease to have any rights or protection normally afforded by the United States Constitution. One of the most disturbing provisions of this bill is the denial of habeas corpus to enemy combatants, which means that such persons can be detained indefinitely without a hearing or trial. Although habeas corpus is not specifically provided for by the Constitution, it is certainly understood by that document and its authors as the right of all citizens in a free democracy. The Constitution’s only reference to habeas corpus states that it can only be suspended during a rebellion or invasion, neither of which is occurring today.
Another controversial piece of this legislation is its codification of “alternative” interrogation techniques and the retroactive protection of all individuals involved with the use of such techniques prior to the passing of this bill. In plain language, the United States of America can now use methods deemed as torture while interrogating terror suspects, and anyone who has used torture in the past is now safe from prosecution. Seriously, is this the brand of legislation that you could have ever imagined being passed in the United States? This is the kind of stuff you expect from Third World Military Juntas, not the alleged leader of the Free World, the good ‘ole USA.
When we question the wisdom of such legislation, the Bush Administration tells us that they are doing this to protect America and the American way of life. But here lies the great paradox. If one begins to dismantle the rights and protections recognized by the US Constitution in the name of security, then what is left to protect? For many, the American way of life is simply a given, but that way of life is defined and protected by the Constitution, a document that was drafted in reaction to a tyrannical monarchy. When the President begins to assume powers that have not been given to the Executive Branch by the Constitution, and when he begins to strip the rights and protections afforded to all Americans by the Constitution, then it is paradoxical to state that these measures are being taken to protect the American way of life. They are destroying it.
On September 11, 2001, 19 hijackers destroyed 4 planes and 2 buildings. Ever since that day, the Bush Administration has assaulted the Constitution and the rule of law, all in the name of security. In the process, they have done more damage to this country than any terrorist organization could ever do. They have destroyed what it means to be a free and just society. America can no longer lead by example in the cause of freedom and democracy because it is a country that has eschewed the rule of law in favor of unchecked Presidential power. Our credibility is busted.
Can we save our country? The prevailing wisdom is that we need the Democratic Party to win back the House and Senate from Republican control, but that’s no guarantee. While a Democratic controlled Congress is more likely to apply checks and balances to the President, the Democratic Party has not articulated a genuine vision for dealing with Iraq, Afghanistan, al Qaeda and a myriad of other problems facing this nation. Strong leadership within the Democratic Party must emerge within the next few months in order to begin the process of unraveling the mess created by the Bush Administration. Unfortunately, no such leader seems to be ready to step up and fill those shoes.
As long as the United States has its nuclear arsenal, it will remain a significant world power and will continue to be a player in global events. However, America’s stature in the world is decreasing. The War in Iraq is bleeding the economy of both financial and human resources. If America can survive this tumultuous period and eventually restore its lost freedoms, how will history judge this current cast of leaders and legislators? I’ve stated numerous time my thoughts on the President, but the Republican controlled Congress deserves more than its fair share of blame. In fact, I hope that history judges them as an embarrassment on the legacy of our nation. They have been nothing but complicit in the destruction of the foundation of our country; essentially standing idly by while their President usurps power and leads this nation on a path to destruction. History should judge them harshly for not representing the people and for not stopping our President from continuously breaking the law. They have not fulfilled their role in government and they have betrayed the people in their quest to remain in power. It’s time they lost control of Congress so that we can start writing some of that history.
In the 1930’s, the Nazis were able to imprison and detain enemies of the state indefinitely under the guise of “protective custody”. The idea was that these people would not be safe in public because of their views so the Nazis set up a legal apparatus, protective custody in concentration camps, to rid themselves of their enemies and any other undesirable elements. Anyone not fully invested in the goals of the Nazi Party was a candidate for such treatment.
The legislation passed last Thursday essentially gives the Bush Administration the same power except that the key designation is “enemy combatant”. The power to designate a person as an enemy combatant lies within the Executive branch and there is no oversight. Virtually anyone, including all American citizens, can be deemed an enemy combatant, and those who are, cease to have any rights or protection normally afforded by the United States Constitution. One of the most disturbing provisions of this bill is the denial of habeas corpus to enemy combatants, which means that such persons can be detained indefinitely without a hearing or trial. Although habeas corpus is not specifically provided for by the Constitution, it is certainly understood by that document and its authors as the right of all citizens in a free democracy. The Constitution’s only reference to habeas corpus states that it can only be suspended during a rebellion or invasion, neither of which is occurring today.
Another controversial piece of this legislation is its codification of “alternative” interrogation techniques and the retroactive protection of all individuals involved with the use of such techniques prior to the passing of this bill. In plain language, the United States of America can now use methods deemed as torture while interrogating terror suspects, and anyone who has used torture in the past is now safe from prosecution. Seriously, is this the brand of legislation that you could have ever imagined being passed in the United States? This is the kind of stuff you expect from Third World Military Juntas, not the alleged leader of the Free World, the good ‘ole USA.
When we question the wisdom of such legislation, the Bush Administration tells us that they are doing this to protect America and the American way of life. But here lies the great paradox. If one begins to dismantle the rights and protections recognized by the US Constitution in the name of security, then what is left to protect? For many, the American way of life is simply a given, but that way of life is defined and protected by the Constitution, a document that was drafted in reaction to a tyrannical monarchy. When the President begins to assume powers that have not been given to the Executive Branch by the Constitution, and when he begins to strip the rights and protections afforded to all Americans by the Constitution, then it is paradoxical to state that these measures are being taken to protect the American way of life. They are destroying it.
On September 11, 2001, 19 hijackers destroyed 4 planes and 2 buildings. Ever since that day, the Bush Administration has assaulted the Constitution and the rule of law, all in the name of security. In the process, they have done more damage to this country than any terrorist organization could ever do. They have destroyed what it means to be a free and just society. America can no longer lead by example in the cause of freedom and democracy because it is a country that has eschewed the rule of law in favor of unchecked Presidential power. Our credibility is busted.
Can we save our country? The prevailing wisdom is that we need the Democratic Party to win back the House and Senate from Republican control, but that’s no guarantee. While a Democratic controlled Congress is more likely to apply checks and balances to the President, the Democratic Party has not articulated a genuine vision for dealing with Iraq, Afghanistan, al Qaeda and a myriad of other problems facing this nation. Strong leadership within the Democratic Party must emerge within the next few months in order to begin the process of unraveling the mess created by the Bush Administration. Unfortunately, no such leader seems to be ready to step up and fill those shoes.
As long as the United States has its nuclear arsenal, it will remain a significant world power and will continue to be a player in global events. However, America’s stature in the world is decreasing. The War in Iraq is bleeding the economy of both financial and human resources. If America can survive this tumultuous period and eventually restore its lost freedoms, how will history judge this current cast of leaders and legislators? I’ve stated numerous time my thoughts on the President, but the Republican controlled Congress deserves more than its fair share of blame. In fact, I hope that history judges them as an embarrassment on the legacy of our nation. They have been nothing but complicit in the destruction of the foundation of our country; essentially standing idly by while their President usurps power and leads this nation on a path to destruction. History should judge them harshly for not representing the people and for not stopping our President from continuously breaking the law. They have not fulfilled their role in government and they have betrayed the people in their quest to remain in power. It’s time they lost control of Congress so that we can start writing some of that history.
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