Here's Five Years I'll Never Get Back

Today marks the fifth anniversary of this blog. Normally, I don't go in for this sort of crap, but I figured five years is a milestone (or is that millstone?), what the hey?
Back when I started blogging, Fox News actually claimed to be fair and balanced. Most Americans still trusted the president and supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This blog was started in opposition to the many wars the Bush administration had begun, and to the ones that loomed in the distance. The first post pondered the lies that administration might possibly use to get the American people to back another unilateral war of conquest, this time in Iran. Although we may have switched presidential administrations, lies are still being used to brainwash the people into supporting another war it cannot afford. And, of course, the compliant corporate media is investigating none of these claims, just like they never followed through too much on Plamegate, or the Downing Street Memos, two hard pieces of evidence of a conspiracy within the Bush administration to break the law in order to start an illegal invasion of a country, like Iran, that is not a national security threat.
Back then, there was a sense of camaraderie and community; we were all traitors together. Trolls would stop by more frequently and accuse us of being terrorist sympathizers, make vague threats against us, and vainly try to defend the actions of their revered president. Most of them such as Lily, my blog partner at Lose the Noose (though we do still keep in touch), my partner at American Insurgency Ron Nasty, who may or may not be lost in the woods, or having another extended stay in rehab, Neil Shakespeare, one of the best, along with Rex Kramer at Spurious George and Peacechick Mary at Knock Knock have moved on. Others too, have neglected their blogs, or simply gone away as well, just like the Bush administration.
Back when I started, protest rallies were roundly ignored by the news media, and war protesters were relegated to free speech zones. Now, even smaller gatherings of Tea Party protesters capture the media's attention, and in some cases are even stage managed by news producers. Bush derangement syndrome has been replaced by Birthers, Condi Rice has been replaced by Hillary Clinton and Afghanistan is being replaced by Pakistan Through it all, I have had three system crashes and replaced one mother board. And while I may not get around as much as I used to, as it takes a while to recover all the links I previously have had bookmarked, I do occasionally make it around, to those of you who still are out there. And I'll still be here, sporadically as usual, always surfing the 'Net for something to piss me off enough to write a rant, and actually finish it.

Who Runs This Country?

Or, better yet, who should run this country, seeing how were a republic and all? Lindsey Graham thinks that if we let the bloggers run the country than our best days are behind us. Uh, dude, our best days are behind us.
Who are these elusive bloggers I hear criticized by the people on the right while appearing on the news? Most blogs, big, small, and miniscule (like this one) are run by tax paying citizens who read and report the news that the corporate-owned media refuses to report, or buries while devoting more and more time and space to celebrity gossip or sports "news". Why would we, as a democracy, want the actual people deciding the future of the country. We have let the corporations run this country for too long now and we have rampant unemployment, a stagnant economy and two government sponsored quagmires on our hands. It's been great for the corporations, but bad for 99% of other people in this country.
But who does run this country? Who has been pushing for another war based on lies? The bloggers. or the people who "run" this country? Who is threatening to impose sanctions on Iran for obeying the NPT all the while violating the Symington amendment?
Most bloggers are people of conscience, and blog out of a sense of duty, or outrage at how far we have strayed. very few make a profit, if at all, and are not media darlings or part of the cultural elite. We are, however, citizens, and when the citizens no longer run this country than we have ceased to be the democracy we claim to fight for while dropping bombs on dark skinned people in democracy's name.

News Flash:John Bolton Is A Tool

I don't watch much television news. These days it deems reporting every bit of minutia concerning the death of Michael Jackson more important than a US Congress women taken hostage by a foreign nation.
Newspapers are struggling these days, and why not? They are as about as useful as a Republican politician lecturing to us about morals.How trustworthy can a paper that offers access to Obama administration officials, members of Congress, and even the paper’s own reporters and editors for a token fee of $25,000?
Even worse is when the very same paper publishes an opinion piece by neocon tool John Bolton advocating an Israeli strike against Iran. The reasons are both spurious and complete fabrications, starting with Iran's non-existent nuclear weapons program, and continuing on with the disputed election results from last month's elections. Never mind that such an action would be illegal under international law, Bolton (and Israel) have no use for international law, except when it serves their purpose.
As for that whole "democracy" thing, when Hamas won the majority of seats in the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council, the US, (as part of the Quartet on the Middle East) voted to cut funding to the PLC. There you go, that's what you fucking get for exercising freedom of choice.
So if the newspapers are struggling, maybe they should focus less on Michael Jackson (that's why we have supermarket tabloids) and focus less on propaganda for that next big war. However, online newspapers do provide good links for bloggers, and I will continue to link to them even if some crazy judge thinks the practice should be banned to save newspapers.

Chances Are That If You Are Reading This, You're a Political Extremist Dickweed

Or maybe it's just me. Maybe you're the political extremist, and I'm the digital dickweed.
Whatever we're doing, we're pissing off the corporate media because we lack the legitimacy of capital earned by fellating corporate sponsors and favored political hacks.
Now just to be sure, the CEO of News Corp., the parent company of Fox News, home to the likes of Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Bill O'Reilly, call us political extremists? I guess a political extremist is anyone to the left of Adolph Hitler. But it doesn't end there. No, John Hartigan suggests that bloggers be jailed as they are in oppressive police states like China and Burma. Because freedom of the press should only be available to those whom would use it to try and shape the agenda for an illegal war (while still maintaining that whole "fair and balanced" facade).
Less serious is the charge from CNBC host Dennis Kneale, who responded to bloggers who have called him "unwatchable", among other things, by referring to them as "dickweeds". Hey, I may be a dick weed, but at least I still have my soul.
Which is more than I can say about anybody working for the corporate media.

Award Winning Bloggery

Much thanks to libhom at Godless Liberal Homo for passing along the Superior Scribbler Award to unbrainwashed. For (in his words, not mine) "Tired of all the crap you are fed by the corporate media and the politicians? Enjoy snark and reasoning that undermines the garbage. Acknowledging brainwashing in this society itself is largely taboo, which makes the blog's title especially gratifying."
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Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
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Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
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Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
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Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
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Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.
Now, the hard part. Picking out five from my many favorites.

Born At The Crest Of The Empire-Mike always offers insightful analysis and opinion based on the facts, rather than than emotion (in other words, it's the complete opposite of this blog). Tireless and endlessly updated, it's worth visiting several times a day.

Who Hijacked Our Country-Tom I see as a kindred soul, one who is as disappointed and disgusted in the direction our country has taken as I am.

MCCS1977-Succinct and too the point and always lavishly illustrated. Superiorly snarky, Fred's just cool.

Stone Soup Musings-Fellow Michigander (Michiganian?) kathy shows the connection between the local and the national.

Brown Man Thinking Hard- I discovered Brown man recently, and have added it to my regular rounds. Witty, intelligent, embodying all the qualities I wish this blog had.


There were so many other blogs I would have liked to give this award to, picking out five meant that there were at least five others I wish I could have gifted. (Or, I could have copied libhom, who gave out six instead of five) But then, I would have been taking away someone else's opportunity to award a friend, since at times it seems that that's what we all really are.