Is anybody out in the world at large noticing that information from Iraq

[Jackpine Radical]

has been shut off?

I don't watch TV, don't even have access to one at the moment. I have very little feel for the pulse of the country. I've just spent much of the morning reading things like FAZ & other continental & British sources trying to figure out what's going on. Right now I don't even know what the American KIA count for yesterday & today is, within an order of magnitude. Is it 12 yesterday & 12 today, or is that a double-count? Was it 12 or 15 or
18 or 20 or 130 yesterday? I don't know.

We seem to have bombed a hospital and a mosque, in both instances with many casualties (40 in the mosque?) within the last 2 days.

We don't even seem to know how many battles are going on at a given time.

Is anybody else noticing that they don't know? Is it bothering anybody? Or are the media just pretending that things are going on about as usual?

[sinkingfeeling]

1. It's the media not reporting on those good things happening in

Iraq...they only report negatives. Everything's just fine...we've almost got the electricity back to what it was, the school's are all rebuilt and open, etc. Move along, nothing to see.

[catmandu57]

2. It seems we get information in the mornings

but after nine or so, things just shut off. It bothers me, because I know things are happening right now and I haven't a clue. I don't know where to go to keep current.

[truthspeaker]

3. Keep in mind they are 8 hours (or so) ahead of EDT.

I imagine less reporting happens at night.

[rkc3]

5. it's the timing

Nothing happens before you go to work to keep you in the dark. It's the same reason why Bush made recess appointments to get a few of his judges on the bench and why Rice is testifying tomorrow morning.

With a 3-day holiday weekend (and probably longer for a lot of folks), the country will have forgotten about her testimony long before its published.

Good news gets published on Monday - bad news on Friday.

[Sandpiper]

4. If you want to know what's really happening

Try here:

http://www.aljazeera.com/dae891.asp

Or here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

[Bandit]

6. Hush now everything is fine. Your glorious leader is taking care of everth

Did you see the new American Idol? How about Surviver? Those are all that is really important and if something else turns up your "elected" leader will take care of everything. That is what is sooo good about a Republik instead of a Democracy. You don't need to bother yourself about anything. All is well. All is well. All is Well.

[PfcHammer]

7. would be nice if the military provides footage like they

did when j lynch was rescued. really hope so

[Guaranteed]

8. Yup, we're in the dark.

The surest sign that things aren't going well.

[robertpaulsen]

9. This is how it works when the media is "embedded" with the military.

The media bends over and the military gives it to them. That's how it works.

The difference between the 1968 Tet Offensive and this one? A functional first amendment. Everytime I turn on the news, I feel like I'm watching PravdaUSA. All of them are military sycophants: Faux, MSRNC, CNN. The fog of war just keeps getting thicker.

[RaulGroom]

10. It's not Tet yet

When the equivalent of the Tet offensive happens, you'll know it, functional first amendment or no. Just wait. I'd imagine early June will be the beginning of the real insurrection. This is just a preview.

All this talk of extending the June 30th deadline is insane on its face. The troops should be pulled out now, before hundreds are killed in a matter of days. Only a few more weeks until the real war begins.

Thanks Dubya.

[robertpaulsen]

12. I agree

As bad as things are now, its a drop in the bucket compared to what will happen when Sistani declares an intifada, which he has threatened to do if the U.S. troops are not gone by June 30. It's gonna be a long hot summer.

[KoKo]

11. It's a crack down because it's back to "war" now. But CNN showed map

of Iraq and said battles are going on in seven cities. That's about the best one can expect.

Today has been pretty quiet. I assume that means things are going badly for the troops. The crack down in the media started a week after Clarke's book. It's possible it's a coincidence and that Clarke's book happened to coincide with increased resistence in Iraq. Whichever it is, the disinformation is flying fast and furious in the media when it isn't just being silent.