They have seriously damaged this country with the constant barrage of distortions, misrepresentations, and outright lies of all kinds. Just leads to a distressingly dumbed-down population. They're disgracefully and pitifully uninformed.
Rachel Maddow pointed out something that really stuck in my mind. It was another one of her many shrewd and illuminating illustrations. While debating the concept of equal time for all, in the media, mainstream and otherwise, and the merits of offering equal time to points of view that might not be deserving of it, she offered (paraphrasing) - "every time we have a report based on a NASA advancement, must we dutifully offer equal time to the Flat Earth Society?"
I find that a more and more compelling argument every day. And I find THAT troubling, too - that I sometimes entertain those those reactions. OF COURSE everyone and anyone has a right to free speech, and to agree or disagree with any point or person. Of course I honor, recognize, and support the First Amendment. Heck, it was part of what I did for a living. But what's to be done about the deliberate revisionist, utterly reckless, and toxic media crop-dusting that's suffocating so many Americans' brains and ability to reason? Independent, discerning, analytical, and well-informed thought seems like a rare commodity sometimes. But then again, why should the likes of o'reilly and that-guy-whose-name-rhymes-with-Vanity be allowed to spew such wanton crap - crap that doesn't stand the test of truth and reality; crap that encourages and incites racism, hatred, prejudice, resentment, anger, and often, violence.
I suppose it would then turn into - "who decides?"
Just another big problem that can't be solved in one evening. And it directly funnels into the whole overriding question - "who's yer daddy?" ALWAYS, there's money to be made whenever an agenda is advanced. So that really governs everything. Remember when dubya said "money trumps peace"? The advertisers still come, don't they?
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