Justin Case: This'n'That; August Twenty-third[Pamphlateers;KochBrothers]

The Media Reduced To Pamphleteers
[Definition: Pamphleteer--a writer of pamphlets or other short works taking a partisan stand on an issue.]

    Remember when your local daily paper went "against the wind" and reported on all goings on in the town or the city or the nation, even?? You may have read that the mayor got caught 'bopping' his secretary or a local charity official was dipping into the till or that a former president had an affair with his female driver during a dire national emergency. In later editions you may have read that the mayor had secretly married his secretary or that the charity official had uncovered accounting errors or that the former president's affair was substantiated and he'd issued an apology.
Not so much, any more!!
    Now, we get nothing more than the fascist 'party line.' Seems like the editor makes a phone call or receives an email telling him or her what the 'line' will be on each article. There's seems to be 'no such animal' as an investigative reporter; the paper just prints what it's told to print--even when a logical look at the facts will tell the editor that the 'story line' just isn't so!!
    Now don't get me wrong!! I hold the position that there ain't a dime's worth'a difference between either political party. Politically, I'm somewhere to the right of Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity and Savage--but that doesn't mean I'm a republicRAT as opposed to being an 0bamacRAT or democRAT!! I am--what I like to call--"an American Patriot!!"
    With the pamphleteers as they are, the only way to get both sides of any issue is to find some other publication you feel is unbiased-difficult as that task may be!! Once I chose the National Review magazine, I was truely amazed at the number and length of articles that did not 'toe the party line' ["party" in this case meaning the fascists-that group determined to destroy any remaining vestige of American freedom]. The articles seem to be well researched and often go against my grain as an ultra-conservative, in that they defend some actions of the fascist legislators and government executives.

SIDEBAR: That brings to mind a discussion I had with one of those 'call-back' census workers. She had to come to the house because the only things I put on the mail-in form were: 2 adults occupy the apartment; one is male; one is female--THAT'S IT!! She went through all of the twenty--or so--questions, one at a time, expecting the politically correct answer. The question that really stuck in my craw was the one about race. She asked me for it; I told her 'American Patriot'. She wanted a race, I asked her why. Apparently if I was of a minority race my locality would be eligible for more federal funds; I--personally--would be eligible for federal and state financial and educational help. She had difficulty in my reasoning that in the face of these vast government benefits, I would still refuse to name a race. The lady couldn't fathom that I just wanted 'the government' to stay out of my personal life and leave me alone!! She left with about eighteen of the questions unanswered!!

    The print edition of National Review has about--maybe--2% of the circulation of the pamphlet rags who call themselves national dailies. The internet notwithstanding, how do these dailies maintain their readership?? Can everyone except my 'American Patriot' friends and I, be that stupid?? I doubt it, seriously!! There are exceptions to those national dailies, most notibly The Wall Street Journal and Investor's Business Daily--both fine and fair, publications!! I made my choice over these two only due to economics--their subscription prices are out of my league as a retiree.

"The Good Fight" Is About To Begin!
The billionaires waging war on 0bama
[ www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer ]
    Charles and David Koch are the most powerful people you’ve never heard of, according to an in-depth profile of the two brothers published in this week’s The New Yorker.  The two brothers — who rank among the 10 richest Americans – have funneled at least $100 million to right-wing groups, including foundations, think-tanks and political groups. Their goal? To tear government out by the root. And to promote a pro-corporate agenda that meshes with their own financial interests.
    The article details how the Kochs, who own Koch Industries, have often funded research or advocacy that not only supports their libertarian philosophy but also their own bottom line. Their company owns oil refineries, pipelines and the Georgia-Pacific paper and chemical conglomerate.
The Kochs don’t just give money and go away; they exert strong control over what’s done with their political philanthropy.

“The Kochs are longtime libertarians who believe in drastically lower personal and corporate taxes, minimal social services for the needy, and much less oversight of industry — especially environmental regulation. These views dovetail with the brothers’ corporate interests.”

The New Yorker profile shows that American politics would be a far different world without the Koch brothers. They’ve funded most of the research that tries to debunk climate change. They funded the rallies last summer that fired up opposition to the health-care bill. And they’ve helped organize the Tea Party into a force to be reckoned with. For decades, the Kochs were able to win many policy battles by having a small battalion of academics, researchers, lawyers and journalists on their side. Now, with the rise of the Tea Party, they may have the foot soldiers they need to win the war.