Stories best not forgotten from last week

A series of hideous revelations about the contemptible role of the major media outlets, particularly television, as propaganda organ for the Bush administration. Friday: questioning anything the government says is "mindlessly adversarial". Also, the only network voice against the war (if MSNBC counts as a network) was fired to get anti-Iraq-war voices off the air. Thursday: extensive documentation of suppression of stories - and reporters - contradicting the administration and the march to war in Iraq. Meanwhile, it's not going to get any better because the shit truly rises to the surface, as the people most responsible for presenting all the crap the anchors at the major networks think they did a great job. And they did; it's just that that job has nothing to do with journalism. It has a lot to do with presenting the Pentagon's domestic propaganda campaign as "independent analyst" work, a savage raping of law that they still refuse to mention.

I mean, even Scott McClellon, press secretary for the Bush administration and abler and abetter of Administration propaganda, thinks they were pathetic lapdogs - so they are, of course, going after him. Oh, by the way, Mr. McClellon also let slip that Chief Executive Bush personally authorised the leak of Valerie Wilson's identity as an undercover CIA agent. That wasn't the only retaliatory leak; last weekend's This American Life had a long-form story about the breakdown and overturning of the FBI's first successful terrorism conviction - a conviction the FBI renounced - and retaliatory leaking of names of undercover FBI sources.

Also, the usual commentary from the media is that the bullshit distraction coverage they provide is what Americans actually want. polls say this is a lie, and is directly tied to why the mainstream media scores worse in trust than the least popular chief executive in modern American history. But, again, truth isn't part of the consideration.

Oh, and, there's a new report out in the UK alleging that the US is using navy ships as new indefinite holding facilities for, you know, whoever the fuck the Bush administration wants to grab and hold indefinitely and possibly torture. And that "extraordinary rendition" continues, like you'd expect in a torture state.

Finally, out today; an extensive description of China's new pervasive surveillance network, and the ways it's used for political oppression. It's not just the Great Firewall of China, and yeah, a lot of American companies are involved, and marketing the systems that have been developed to the US government.

Marching On

Marching On

today's pile of financial insanity

Here, this is clever, by which I mean nauseating; banks are marking losses as profits in their accounting. This legal form of fraud is destroying the financial system; please enjoy it. But you're seeing more ratings-agency action, finally, after that horse is not just out the barn but somewhere a few counties over. Argentina appears to be following the US's lead in filing bullshit inflation numbers in what the Telegraph calls a partial repudiation of its debt.

Oh, and want to know why Saudi Arabia isn't pumping more oil? Because they don't fucking want to, assuming they even can, and aren't gonna. They now see what's left as an enduring economic legacy to be passed down over generations. So get used to this.

Meanwhile, in the "real" world, the Wall Street Journal has given its blessing to the idea that gosh, people seem to be kind of tight for cash right now. Gawsh! I guess it's official now! Mish doesn't think it's going to get a lot better real soon, either.

Finally, the idea that Metro could even have service cuts on its list - even if it's last - of options in dealing with rising fuel prices makes me want to go kick the general manager, Kevin Desmond, right in the head. How big a bullhorn do I need to get a NO into your brain, dipshit?

Senator McCain adopts Bush positions on unitary executive, domestic spying

Senator McCain has adopted Chief Executive Bush's positions on the unitary executive, domestic spying, warrantless wiretapping, and immunity from law. His new deputy communications director, Michael Goldfarb, also endorses torture, or, to cut it a bit more finely, contemptuously mocks the idea that it shouldn't be used, and also claims that the Chief Executive has, and this is a quote, "near dictatorial power" to be used however that executive sees fit if that executive sees fit to declare it related to foreign policy or security matters. Which, of course, means for anything and everything.

Senator McCain's position is a direct reversal from his own positions six months ago, where here was at least pretending to oppose torture and other grotesque abuses in the name of "security." So please remember: McCain is campaigning for Mr. Bush's third term. If you want more of what you've had the last eight years, that's what he's offering, and you should vote for him.

Canadian Coalition for Electronic Rights calls for action

There's a bunch of reaction going on against the broad set of copyright reform^* actions going on in Ottawa - the previously-mentioned ACTA and a DMCA-like set of domestic laws - and the CCER has set up a form-letter protest page here. See more here and here. Michael Geist comments here (latest update) and again here (in more depth) about what's going on in the greater part of the bill.

Act now and loudly if you're gonna...

^*: Please to take scare-quotes around "copyright reform" as implicit.

Guarding the Rail

Guarding the Rail