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Monday, November 14, 2016

Show Me Don’t Tell Me



How many times do you hear it?
It goes on all day long
Everyone knows everything
And no one’s ever wrong
Until later

-        Show Don’t Tell, RUSH, Lyrics by Neil Peart

From a letter to readers of the New York Times:

As we reflect on this week’s momentous result, and the months of reporting and polling that preceded it, we aim to rededicate ourselves to the fundamental mission of Times journalism. That is to report America and the world honestly, without fear or favor, striving always to understand and reflect all political perspectives and life experiences in the stories that we bring to you.

Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr., Publisher
Dean Baquet, Executive Editor

My reaction?

SHOW ME DON’T TELL ME
You’ve figured out the score
SHOW ME DON’T TELL ME
I’ve heard it all before
SHOW ME DON’T TELL ME
I don’t care what you say
SHOW ME DON’T TELL ME

Poor babies – the election ripped the last shred of credibility from the Times and every other mainstream media outlet.  Only now – even after years of dying a slow death – they figure out maybe, just maybe, they might begin to report “honestly.”

If the publisher and editor of the Times are sincere, they need not wait for some future event to demonstrate this.  I offer the following list of stories, all of which have been less-than-fairly covered by the mainstream media.

I will begin about 15 years ago.  I could go back much further, but there was a particular event that offered a particular inflection point that greatly changed the intensity by which events have unfolded since – one could easily argue that it was this list of events that led directly to the supposedly shocking results of last week’s election.

September 11, 2001
This date needs no further explanation.  There is much evidence available that makes clear that the official story is not a credible story.  What happened?  Who was involved?  Why?

Global Warming / Climate Change
The “inconvenient truth” is that the science has been so bastardized that no one can conclude anything on this topic other than if scientists have reason to lie, we have reason to not believe them.

Invasion of Afghanistan and Ongoing Occupation
Even if the original story was true, why such a major operation to capture a handful of criminals?  Why remain after the supposed master-mind was supposedly captured and shot?  Speaking of…

Osama bin Laden
What’s up with this guy?  He was working for the US, then against the US.  He was reported dead several times.  He had an incurable and deadly disease, yet somehow survived in a cave or compound for a decade or more.  And his death?  Really, they dumped his body in the ocean in respect of Muslim tradition?

Invasion of Iraq and Ongoing Occupation
What’s the deal?  It is painfully obvious to everyone that this invasion was based on lies.  So why not take to task the liars-in-chief that brought this catastrophe to Iraq and the region?

2008 Financial Collapse
What caused it (hint, it wasn’t greed – at least not how this term is normally considered)?  Why TARP?  Why did the Fed increase its balance sheet five-fold?  Why bail out AIG, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, etc.?  Why have billions been paid in bonuses to the same people who brought on this disaster in the first place?  Why has no one been prosecuted for fraudulent and criminal activity?

Continued Wars of Choice
Libya (and don’t forget Benghazi), Syria, and Ukraine all come to mind.

Forcing Confrontation with Russia and China
It doesn’t take a rocket science to read a map.  At some point, one of these two is going to say enough.  At that point, it will be too late for the editor and publisher of the Times to decide that maybe honest reporting is called for.  They won’t survive to write it, and we won’t survive to read it.

Refugee Crisis
The United States Government played a direct role in turning the lives of millions of people into hell.  Who will take the individuals responsible to task?

American “Allies”
Israel, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia all play at purposes contrary to the stated purposes of the US Government.  Either the US Government is lying about its purpose, or these are not allies.

Treatment of Palestinians
There is a story of the violent birth of Israel that has not ended even until today. 

---------------------------------------

Mr. Sulzberger Jr. and Mr. Baquet,

Some of these topics will provide several months’ worth of daily investigate reports; all will provide opportunities for at least one week or more of daily reports.  The Times would see its readership reach highs not seen since before the invention of the internet.

The narrative that you have so faithfully supported for several decades, at the cost of reporting “honestly,” is coming apart.  Although some saw this with the events of September 11, the first overt sign was delivered with the financial crisis of 2008 and the government’s reaction to this – ongoing even today.  You missed a big sign with Ron Paul’s candidacy in 2008 and 2012.  The most recent sign – prior to last Tuesday – was delivered with the Brexit vote. 

You need not wait for the next opportunity “to report America and the world honestly, without fear or favor…”  You can begin today, by working your way right down this list.

Conclusion

You can twist perceptions
Reality won’t budge
You can raise objections
I will be the judge
And the jury

8 comments:

  1. It's estimated that there are over 50 million classified government documents. That alone is reason to doubt everything, including the fourth estate's role as "watchdog". Such a lack of transparency is unhealthy. Open up the books! Let's see what you've got! Get Ben Swann in there. Then, we can be better informed voters. Hey, if they've done nothing wrong, they have nothing to hide. Right?

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    Replies
    1. Having been "inside" at one time, I can tell you that it is ASSUMED that the "opposition" knows pretty much everything that's important to our national security. The reason for all the classification is to keep the truth from the American People.

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    2. Question: Why are the American people okay with that?

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  2. Truth telling is hard. They won't do sqat...

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  3. My 2cents…the entire left has spent the last eight years demonizing working taxpayers as “greedy, selfish, racist, xenophobic deplorables” whenever they expressed concern about the increasing amounts confiscated from their paychecks to support those who prefer to vote for a living, as well as D.C.s trillion dollar political/corporate collusion. Politicians, rather than taxpayers, got all the accolades for passing out loyalty-vote buying money, every penny of it, funded by taxpayers, who received nothing but total contempt, never even a “thank you,” from the Obama administration, especially his “justice” department the entire mainstream media, the New York Times leading the demonization hordes.

    What the left forgot in their identity politics fervor, is that the majority of taxpayers are not “white oppressors” but 70% of every color, culture and legal status. So when Trump promised to be the “taxpayers” president, not another paycheck grabbing D.C. politician, he got the tax payer’s votes, the real numerical majority.

    Hillary lost because she was even more contemptuous of taxpayers, lionizing the welfare dependent, legal and illegal, as “the oppressed” and insisting that taxpayers would need to fund another two "social justice" trillion for anyone in the world who would kiss her hands in gratitude.

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    Replies
    1. Good point. It would be interesting to find out what percent of the taxpayer vote Trump received. Since bureaucrats and other tax consumers live in urban areas, it's not surprising that Hillary the candidate of the welfare/warfare constituency received their votes. I recall that D.C. voted about 90% for Hillary. If only net taxpayers were allowed to vote, Trump would probably have received 90% of the vote.

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    2. Misquoting William Congreve,

      “Hell hath no fury like a taxpayer scorned.”

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  4. The NYT failed to address the most powerful weapon of the media: the power to cover news they favor and ignore news they don't.

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