I think it’s thoroughly amusing – and tragically pathetic – that this story has gained so much traction in the media. But then again, for the past 36 hours I’ve been bombarded with clips and snips of Obama’s long-awaited pet acquisition. Am I the only one who couldn’t give a rat’s a** whether Obama bought a Portuguese water dog or a certified mutt for his kids? Millions of people are being thrown off their jobs and out of their homes, and we’re supposed to care what breed of pet is in the White House. Insane.
And now this. Whenever the media pounces on something relentlessly and shoves it in our faces so hard and deep that we can’t breathe (brings me back to their Obama Lovin’ Days on the campaign trail), you have to ask yourself: what’s really going on here? Because nowadays, the truth is never near the surface. It’s buried under so many layers of b.s. you need a backhoe to find it.
I agree with Arraya. Many of these guys may be thugs (in which case, put them in suits and ties and send them to Goldman Sachs where it’s “acceptable” to be a thief and a thug), but given the circumstances, if the shoe were on the other foot, I doubt very much that Americans would stand idly by as arrogant Europeans tossed toxic waste onto their shores and drained the life out of their coastal waters. The relentless broadcast of this little escapade in the Indian Ocean is meant to accomplish two things: (1) re-brand Obama as the president who will kick military ass abroad (while he kicks your financial ass at home) and (2) generate anger and hatred against those who have the nerve to stand up against exploitation.
Our government has lied or obfuscated the truth regarding everything from the existence of WMDs in Iraq to the identity of TARP fund recipients. But several thousand miles away, in a war-torn, bombed-out country full of starving people, in a place where Americans can’t possibly see what’s really happening, we are supposed to simply trust our government’s version of the truth.
Forgive me, but I don’t buy it. Tax day tea parties are springing up all across the country – TWO THOUSAND tomorrow – and the media has applied the same strategy of demonization and mockery. The protesters have been labelled right-wing extremists and lunatics. Krugman even labelled it an “astroturf” (fake) grassroots movement.
There is a pattern to be gleaned here. Whenever people anywhere stand up for themselves and protest the injustices they perceive that they are suffering, those in power immediately seek to quash them – first with propaganda, and if that’s unsuccessful, brute force soon follows. The con is as old as time itself. And most Americans are falling for it – hook, line and sinker.
One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. 233 years ago, a bunch of scrappy colonists decided to take matters into their own hands. Had they taken to boats and sought to steer the British away from their shores, I’m quite sure they would have been labelled “pirates”.
When will people realize that the enemy isn’t a poverty-stricken Iraqi, a village in Pakistan or some pissed-off, fed-up Somali; the REAL the enemy sits in our government and in our banks. Until we come to grips with that reality, expect more ballyhooed pirate escapades on CNN and Obama pet stories. I hear The Chosen One is buying an iguana for Malia tomorrow. Film at 11.
