if you liked that...you might like http://www.obscurasite.com/~zach/warroomcentral/ I'm still debating on whether or not to register a domain name b/c I don't know if I want to keep up the work of maintaining it. News never stops. If I do I'll write commentary. I just don't want to do it with my regular e-mail address as the contact on there. But I understand the frustration of wanting news and getting hours of human drama and fluffy info-tainment that really doesn't help a news-starved american public. --Deji
It's not so much about 'liking' it or agreeing or disagreeing with his points (some of them were easier than shooting fish in a bag, or something to that effect). He's not answering anything and his questions aren't going to be answered, but it was nice to ask them regardless.
Some of the things they talked about are true reflections of Americans, but I think they are picking on one of our worst shortcomings as a society... I could make a list of the worst traits of many countries and it would make the world appear a pretty dismal place. French are a-holes. English are emotionless. and on and on and on... Everyone already knows that major network news is pure crap and is getting worse all the time, but that doesn't mean all Americans are illiterate... far from it. We may not be as aware of the world around us as many other populations, but that is because of our geographic isolation. We really don't have a big need to speak multiple languages (there are only three on our continent) and only a small percentage of us have business reasons to travel to foreign countries. There are many things that we are much more sensitive to than other groups of people in this world. Basically, I can find a reason to hate anything. I can also find a reason to love anything. So am I going to live my life being negative or being positive?
Yes, but, I think it behooves Americans to know what goes on outside their country and what makes other people tick. Maybe they didn't care before. They have a reason to care now! I'm certainly not dogging my fellow Americans or anything. Israelis, Arabs, Iranians, and other foreign nationals I've known (even Europeans) who haven't had the luxury to live in places where they can take their security and/or the stabilty of their government for granted have made it their business to educate themselves and stay informed of world politics because they can play a direct role in the immediate length and quality of their lives. And we aren't talking graduate students here. Everyday people. In elections in this country, we have voted with our pockets; in places like Israel, they vote with their damn lives. I don't think Nostradamus is high on the reading list there. All that is changing in this country, like it or not, and we should get really hip to it. I'm not sure who to blame for coverage, the American news media for not providing it, or Americans for not demanding it. I'm just hoping the news culture will change. In my case, I've been seeking it out since high school. I got one of my degrees in history (specialized in modern mid-east) because I've always wanted to know more than I as told. Even still, a great deal of the "reporting" that is out there is politicizised to some degree. Unless Martians want to establish a press corps, I'm sure it will remain so. Don't get me wrong. I think it's good that the Joint Chiefs are keeping a lid on military secrets (unlike the Gulf War), I think it's good that people are supporting the President, Patriotism is a good thing, I think the relief effort is amazing, and I'm 100% supportive of using military force. But if anyone were to ask me why military force is a good idea, I could to tell them. Citing Primary Sources. For hours, and hours. No Nostradamus or numeralogy, or CNN Talkback Live. I'm very optomistic and opinionated, but I like to think of it as an informed opinion. The next time we vote, we will be taking our lives in our hands. That's my 2 shekels. -Deji
