Friday, August 29, 2003
SUDDENLY...AN EXPLOSION OF BOOKS FOR LIBERALS!
And I think I'm trying to read too many books at once.
Reading books is generally an activity I reserve for a) bedtime, and b) while riding mass transit. But despite my deep interest in politics and journalism, until fairly recently almost all of my reading has been fiction, especially sci-fi.
As anyone who reads this blog soon realizes, my primary political concern for the past several decades has been how right-wing extremism and propaganda are poisoning American politics and journalism, and book publishers haven't seemed particularly interested in this theme. In fact, publishers were part of the problem, as they churned out dishonest Clinton-hating screed after dishonest liberal-hating screed after dishonest, fact-challenged Clinton-and-liberal-hating screed all through the 1990s.
Now, however, I'm having a hard time keeping up with the flood of liberal books exposing the dishonesty of the right-wing propaganda machine and how that machine has corrupted the so-called "liberal media" and destroyed American journalism. (By the way, I was using the phrase "so-called 'liberal media'" long before Eric Alterman, so maybe I should sue him for trademark infringement.)
Anyway, here's a list of the political books I'm currently reading:
"What Liberal Media?" by Eric Alterman
"Stupid White Men" by Michael Moore
"The Clinton Wars" by Sidney Blumenthal
"Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth" by Joe Conason
And the mailman just delivered my copy of "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right" by Al Franken.
Plus, Paul Krugman's new book will be published next month.
Maybe I'll just have to clear more time in my schedule for reading.
And I think I'm trying to read too many books at once.
Reading books is generally an activity I reserve for a) bedtime, and b) while riding mass transit. But despite my deep interest in politics and journalism, until fairly recently almost all of my reading has been fiction, especially sci-fi.
As anyone who reads this blog soon realizes, my primary political concern for the past several decades has been how right-wing extremism and propaganda are poisoning American politics and journalism, and book publishers haven't seemed particularly interested in this theme. In fact, publishers were part of the problem, as they churned out dishonest Clinton-hating screed after dishonest liberal-hating screed after dishonest, fact-challenged Clinton-and-liberal-hating screed all through the 1990s.
Now, however, I'm having a hard time keeping up with the flood of liberal books exposing the dishonesty of the right-wing propaganda machine and how that machine has corrupted the so-called "liberal media" and destroyed American journalism. (By the way, I was using the phrase "so-called 'liberal media'" long before Eric Alterman, so maybe I should sue him for trademark infringement.)
Anyway, here's a list of the political books I'm currently reading:
"What Liberal Media?" by Eric Alterman
"Stupid White Men" by Michael Moore
"The Clinton Wars" by Sidney Blumenthal
"Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth" by Joe Conason
And the mailman just delivered my copy of "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right" by Al Franken.
Plus, Paul Krugman's new book will be published next month.
Maybe I'll just have to clear more time in my schedule for reading.
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
BUSH JUNTA CREATES NEW JOBS...IN INDIA!
Yes, the Shrub did promise to create new jobs...but he never said they'd be in the USA:
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY is using call centres in Gurgaon and Noida in India to raise funds for itself and for its chieftain, George W. Bush. Young people at the call centres are helping robots to phone American citizens to enlist their support and money for the political party, with plans to extend the scheme if they whip up enough donations.
More on this story here.
Seems, though, that the So-Called "Liberal Media" (SCLM) has ignored this story. Now, could you imagine the media feeding frenzy if the Democratic Party had contracted jobs out to India? We'd be seeing front-page stories for months, complete with dark insinuations about the possibility of Indian campaign contributions.
Yes, the Shrub did promise to create new jobs...but he never said they'd be in the USA:
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY is using call centres in Gurgaon and Noida in India to raise funds for itself and for its chieftain, George W. Bush. Young people at the call centres are helping robots to phone American citizens to enlist their support and money for the political party, with plans to extend the scheme if they whip up enough donations.
More on this story here.
Seems, though, that the So-Called "Liberal Media" (SCLM) has ignored this story. Now, could you imagine the media feeding frenzy if the Democratic Party had contracted jobs out to India? We'd be seeing front-page stories for months, complete with dark insinuations about the possibility of Indian campaign contributions.
