Is the media hurting the war?

Actually, we didn't. We were fighting against fascism, remember?

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Q: If science doesn't know where this comes from, then couldn't it be God's doing?A: The only difference between that kind of thinking and the stereotype of the savage who thinks the Great White Hunter is a God because he doesn't know how the hunter's cigarette lighter works is that the savage has an excuse for his ignorance. -- jhuger

I hate to condemn my friend, but I assume he was thinking of the surge strategy and other tactics. Of course, it's the Bush administration which informs the media, so the media is not at fault.Overall, he thinks that we shouldn't know everything about the war, at least not as much as we do. "People don't like war," he says. "It's too dirty for them." It sometimes angers me because he has no record of military service, and yet he speaks with such enlightenment on these issues.And anyway, I don't think the media has had much to do with any war effort! It simply doesn't have that much influence.

Well, then your friend is betraying his anti-democratic fascist beliefs. It is up to the people to decide whether or not a particular war, or even war in general, is worth fighting or worth continuing. F*** it! If the electorate, after carefully weighing the facts of the matter and engaging in informed debate, decide that it is better allow the Taliban to come into the U.S. and rule than it is to risk life and limb, then that is their decision! If your friend thinks that it is so important to kill people and risk being killed to prevent this, then it is up to him to go into the hills and fight.

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Q: If science doesn't know where this comes from, then couldn't it be God's doing?A: The only difference between that kind of thinking and the stereotype of the savage who thinks the Great White Hunter is a God because he doesn't know how the hunter's cigarette lighter works is that the savage has an excuse for his ignorance. -- jhuger

This seems strangely relevant:

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Q: If science doesn't know where this comes from, then couldn't it be God's doing?A: The only difference between that kind of thinking and the stereotype of the savage who thinks the Great White Hunter is a God because he doesn't know how the hunter's cigarette lighter works is that the savage has an excuse for his ignorance. -- jhuger

and very ignorant of history, even recent history.The problem is that the Government lies to the people and cannot be trusted to obey the laws.We absolutely need the media to help expose the government when it becomes criminal in nature and practice.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

I believe the media has also undermined the war by never forgetting to mention which soldier/marine/airmen/sailor died to today, but never seems to mention when a school is built, when a random act of kindness was bestowed on the Iraqi citizens, or when there seems to be some headway.We can't forget that good news is no news worth mentioning in that industry. They thrive on it.As for the restrictions he wants to impose, I think this is treading on dangerous terrain. The freedom of speech is paramount and should be protected at all cost. However, if yellow journalism is detected, there should be steep penalties for it. First of all, that's not true. There are plenty of covert operations that go on that the media has not picked up on prior to its commencement. But even if that was true, blame the morons blurting out the intel to journalists.

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"The problem of Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting, but that it is difficult and left untried" -G.K. Chesterton

Speaking of oxymorons....

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Those who would sacrifice an essential liberty for a temporary security will lose both, and deserve neither. -- Benjamin FranklinWe see monsters where science shows us windmills. -- Phat

There is no headway. Whenever a new school is built, it's dynamited by insurgents.Nearly every construction project has ground to a halt because of the worsening security situation. That's why you "never hear any good news" - because there isn't any sufficiently good news.When 40 Americans died that week, it's hard to imagine that the temporary opening of one school - that women aren't allowed to attend - is news of equal import.

quote:

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The freedom of speech is paramount and should be protected at all cost. However, if yellow journalism is detected, there should be steep penalties for it.

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The freedom of speech does not entail the freedom to do whatever the hell you want. It never ceases to amaze me how many people just don't get that. For some odd reason they see the word "freedom" and think it means they can do absolutely anything, or say absolutely anything.You can't say fire if there is no fire, you can't say bomb on an airplane, you can't threaten to harm another person, and you can't present intended distortions because any prudent person has a reasonable expectation to be hearing truthful matters from the media.

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"The problem of Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting, but that it is difficult and left untried" -G.K. Chesterton

Maybe. But then it becomes problematic when a "watchdog" agency is set up to watch out for and punish "abuses" of freedom of press.For example, many countries routinely use their libel laws to harass and punish journalists who displease those in power. Even a couple of Western European countries have been known to try this.Besides, of "yellow journalism" were to be punished, I wonder how long Fox News would remain on air?Added by edit:Heh. Or those clowns who were trying to "Swiftboat" Kerry in the last election.But I've always felt that the only remedy for the abuse of free speech is to make use of free speech yourself.Edited by Chiroptera, : No reason given.

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Q: If science doesn't know where this comes from, then couldn't it be God's doing?A: The only difference between that kind of thinking and the stereotype of the savage who thinks the Great White Hunter is a God because he doesn't know how the hunter's cigarette lighter works is that the savage has an excuse for his ignorance. -- jhuger

Or the government.So the severe penalties for lying to Congress and the American people that lead up to the invasion of Iraq should carry exactly what severe penalties?

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

And it never ceases to amaze me how many people try to justify all kinds of restrictions on speech by trotting out the old "fire in a crowded moviehouse" line.Ever heard the phrase "clear and present danger?" That's the test used to determine if potentially dangerous speech can be regulated consistent with the Constitution. The government can regulate speech that creates a "clear and present danger" of lawlessness or actions that the government has a right to regulate. Shouting fire in a crowded moviehouse can cause panic, resulting in injuries to persons or property. The fact that such a result is likely is clear. And, it is a present, or immediate, danger.Pray tell, if you can, what clear and present danger is found in "yellow journalism?"

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Those who would sacrifice an essential liberty for a temporary security will lose both, and deserve neither. -- Benjamin FranklinWe see monsters where science shows us windmills. -- Phat

They aren't stopping them from saying whatever they want. They are simply saying, "We are watching what you say. We'll expose you if you lie."But then again, many of these media watchdog groups are slanted and biased themselves.Here, pick your favorite one:Accuracy in Media - Accuracy in Media
FAIR - FAIR is the national progressive media watchdog group, challenging corporate media bias, spin and misinformation.
http://www.mediaresearch.org/ Which is why I boycott Google. You may remember litigation against Google in a congressional hearing about a year and a half ago. China has asked Google to give them their own version of the search engine in Mandarin Chinese.The only stipulation was that if you typed up, say, "Tienanmen Square," pictures of Tank man or of any kind of political revolution against the communist party were removed. Instead, if you typed up Tienanmen Square, you'd be shown cushy images of people frolicking in the park.That's censorship. But Google obliged because the payout was huge. So I no longer use Google. And if you Google, then you unwittingly support censorship. They'd last longer than CBS, NBC, and ABC. Those were men from his own unit denouncing him. They aren't journalists in any sense of the word.

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"The problem of Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting, but that it is difficult and left untried" -G.K. Chesterton

The same penalties for Clinton's perjuring.... A stern talking to.

Well, lets see... Let me just give you an example that appeals to your own philosophical views so that you'll understand. What danger is there in telling the American people that Iraq is a threat to national security as an excuse to save the value of the American dollar or to secure our oil status?

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"The problem of Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting, but that it is difficult and left untried" -G.K. Chesterton