The Fourth Estate And Its Role In The War Machine

There is no such thing as a free press. Not anymore. In this country, anyway. I marvel at the bravery of Russian journalists in defying the might of their oppressive, murderous government to speak the truth.

What the U.S. seems to be left with is a bunch of toadies, sycophants, hangers-on, lickspittles, flatterers, and marginally insane people like Chris Matthews, who recently embarrassed anyone left who is capable of embarrassment by gushing on in the most revolting manner about Fred Thompson's "manly smell."

Can you smell the English leather on this guy, the Aqua Velva, the sort of mature man's shaving cream, or whatever, you know, after he shaved? Do you smell that sort of -- a little bit of cigar smoke? You know, whatever.

Jeez, Chris, get out of the closet already, there's no shame in being gay. Transcript available here.

I often hear the mainstream media criticize bloggers for wanting to destroy journalists, or journalism, or the mainstream media. I'd like to point out (especially to Jon Carroll) that that is simply false. No one wants to get rid of the Fourth Estate. If anything, I'm fairly certain that the public wants MORE news, more coverage, more reportage. But not about Britney Spears' public vagination, or Paris Hilton's low-cut pants or Lindsay Lohan's drunk driving arrests, thanks.

What the public wants is real journalists. Amy Goodman. Juan Gonzales. Matt Taibbi. Greg Palast. Robert Fisk. People who actually zero in on the lies of the warmongers and ripoff artists currently screwing us all without so much as a kiss or a little lube.

So, please, if you want to know what the illegal war and occupation of Iraq was all about, do yourself a huge favour. Go to Matt Taibbi's coverage at Rolling Stone and read. I'm getting a subscription.

I'm tired of these idiotic Bill Kristols and David Broders and David Brookses wambling on endlessly about the many corners we are turning weekly in Iraq, when they should be outraged that nearly 1 million Iraqis have been killed, and 4 million more are refugees, half of them in their own country. That George W. Bush is now responsible for the deaths of more Americans than Osama bin Laden. That 30,000 men and women have come back from Iraq wounded and maimed in body and soul. Come back to a country that makes them homeless, or sends them back again and again to the meatgrinder, or leaves them lying in pools of their own bodily fluids, or denies them promised health care.

I'm revolted that these two-cent pundits, like Tom Friedman, are so devoid of moral compass that they talk about kicking shit out of some other country to show them - to show them what? Our balls are so big we need a wheelbarrow to carry them around?

I'm tired of these bloody-handed chickenhawks shipping everyone else's children out to kill and be killed while their own spawn live high on the hog and working people are ground into dirt, paying the cost of this war. Along with all its hidden costs, like the failure to suitably educate the populace, or provide it with adequate health care.

I would happily pay money to read Matt Taibbi. And I want to know why a fine journalist like him is not given weekly column space in our "newspapers of record."

Disclaimer: The NYT link for Friedman might require registration. Further disclaimer: Read Matt Taibbi's article after taking your blood pressure medication and well away from mealtime. It's that incendiary.

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