It seems the next logical question: after 6 years, two wars and over $438 Billion (yes "B"!) ... if Al Qaida is such a threat, where is the infamous instigator and American nemesis?

And why has our press become so chummy and informal with "Qaida?" Since I am post-creeped-out by our media (achieved by no longer reading or watching) I just have to wonder how this is going to burn out, and how much it will destroy before the human conscience is re-awoken from its greed-induced slumber. Because obviously the American public intends nothing but self-gratification, and seems to believe such is the proper purpose of their lives.

Sadly this nation is stuck on stupid. In many directions. It is a kind of standing rot taking place. We seem to be painting ourselves into a corner with our greed and petulance, to the point we cannot even discuss solutions because we can't (won't) even see the problem.

My observation is we have become infantilized by our culture, to the point the majority of people don't read, are not curious and cannot think independently. Hell, my nation can no longer feed itself properly. We are a people who cannot look ahead or back. Like children, most are afraid of being out of the "in" group, and expect Mammon will support their entitled selves as if they exist in a free-market womb.

Though we've watched this clear treason for many years, the common citizen has done nothing but accept the vaporization of America's ideals. So now we will see what happens.

It is a bit chilling that the foundation of Western Civilization came from the ancient Greeks, who's only considered sin was hubris. The punishment of hubris was doom, and it was observed that "whom the gods would destroy they first make mad."

--Paul Rosenberg

Thanks for the enlightenment. I'm glad I used the qualifier "seems" when talking about Gates and integrity. Since there is such a lack of integrity in the Attention Deficit Administration of Spoiled Brats, I was foolish to try and be optimistic about anyone selected by Darth Cheney. Your insights give all the more reason to get more visibility, my major point, so that this media distortion can be stopped as quickly as possible.

what's your fracking problem?

There's a place I go for breakfast sometimes, where the booths are decorated with framed copies of the front pages of old newspapers. I find it depressing. There are entire generations of Americans who have no idea that once upon a time, the news reported facts. Sure, there was some spin, but everything was true to the best of the reporter's knowledge. There were seperate sections for opinion, clearly marked, but for the most part we were handed the facts, complicated issues were explained in a fairly unbiased manner, and we were allowed - even expected - to draw our own conclusions.

I can't help but wonder what Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, and Harry Reasnor would think of all this. And I am starting to understand why Dan Rather cracked up. Calling any of these shills a reporter is preposterous. They have become part of the government, reading what the government wants us to hear, influencing opinion in the way the government wants, and defending the government's every action. Even books by reporting superstars get no coverage when they attack the party line.

Pravda indeed.

Why do we even bother with these people?! Let's stop giving them our eyes and ears! The news is not about careful research and the most objective facts available, it's about using the cheapest possible stories to grab and hold viewers eyes and ears in order to enhance profit. In years past, if we can remember back that far, the news organizations of major networks and newspapers each had their own independent bureaus scattered around the world. They drew on the substantial profits of their entertainment programming to underwrite their very expensive news departments and took pride in having experienced reporters who worked on the ground to bravely provide the best, most accurate, most comprehensive perspective on what was happening in their corner of the world. Now, all those bureaus are long gone and news programming of every type is expected to produce profit for the owners/stockholders. Profit is the media's number one consideration. Every thing else has fallen by the wayside. It's much cheaper to uncritically repeat the feeds from API, UPI, Reuters and government sources than to investigate anything for yourself. In fact, refusing to repeat the talking points of this government would only get you cut out of the loop and force you to get off your chair, leave your nice safe office and do some research yourself (if there was even money to support such an endeavor). Furthermore, stories like Ms. Hilton's recent problems are cheap to produce and don't make people angry the way factual stories about what's going on in the world would anger those who find the "liberal bias" of truth offensive to their reactionary/fascist ideology. Added to all that is the fact that over the past twenty years, it's become clear the press (including API, UPI and Reuters) is now "owned" both literally and figuratively (as in mafia-eze). If it were possible to track communications, verbal, non verbal and electronic within news organizations, it would be clear exactly how the "keepers" of the major new organizations are giving directions both regarding how the Bush regime and its Iraq "Fiasco" are to be portrayed, how our "enemies" are to be depicted, and how the "free market" must always be proclaimed to be the savior of us all (despite massively mounting evidence to the contrary and the fact that the majority of us claim to worship a "savior" whose message was precisely the opposite of what the "free market" is producing in our nation and the world). Another factor is that virtually all news sources originating in New York City and Washington D.C. lost their objectivity on September 11th, 2001 and have not yet begun to regain it. In the hearts of their hearts, they still feel like targets and their fear causes them to overeact to any and all perceived threats. The only good source of actual news at this point (although it must be evaluated carefully and intelligently) is the internet. Thanks, Glenn for being an imporanat and reliable source of truth and objectivity for all of us (and don't stop plugging your book)!