December 13, 2004

Bill of Rights Day is rapidly approaching - a holiday to be celebrated as joyfully as Christmas ten days later, or as the 4th (or 2nd) of July - so don’t forget! Letters to the editor reminding people how important the Bill of Rights is to Americans and the world are a great way to celebrate, or at least that’s my opinion, like the rest of this column, not necessarily anyone else’s.

Today, I’m looking at propaganda, and the way the media (not just the mainstream) can twist and, on occasion, outright fabricate the news for the purpose of pushing a viewpoint.

“5,500 GIs Deserted Since Iraq War Began”
CBS News
The Pentagon says more than 5,500 servicemen have deserted since the war started in Iraq.

This is an amazing number, and yet, CBS does not even attempt to document it - simply claiming without ANY attribution, that the Pentagon itself uses this number. Certainly there are some men (and presumably, women) who have deserted, although for many it was (like the Marine recently charged- see next article) a temporary and apparently personal action, not necessarily related to the Iraq war. Others (like Hinzman, the primary person interviewed by CBS) did desert because they disagreed with the war and believed the orders given them were illegal. Others, it appears, just got cold feet, or were, to put it bluntly, cowardly when faced with the chance of fighting and dying. This happened even in WW2, and happens in peacetime, as well. But until CBS comes up with some real data, this “5,500” is nothing, in my opinion, but pure propaganda. Not GOVERNMENT propaganda, but still lies.

Marine 'hostage' to be charged with desertion
CNN
"A U.S. Marine who disappeared in Iraq and then showed up in a purported hostage video before later appearing as a free man in Lebanon, is being charged with desertion, Pentagon officials said Thursday. Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun will also be charged by the Marine Corps with larceny and wrongful disposition of military property in connection with his service-issued 9 mm handgun that disappeared with him and never turned up, officials said." (12/09/04)

No doubt there are a lot of questions this guy needs to answer. Apparently, the more they looked at his story, the less they believed it. The loss of the equipment and weapon is, of course, an automatic charge if he didn’t lose them in the line of duty.

Measure Expands Police Powers
Washington Post
"The intelligence package that Congress approved this week includes a series of little-noticed measures that would broaden the government's power to conduct terrorism investigations, including provisions to loosen standards for FBI surveillance warrants and allow the Justice Department to more easily detain suspects without bail."

They may have been “little-noticed” but many of us knew these were in there, and making some of the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act stronger, permanent, or more useful to the Administration. Once more, we see that virtually no one in Congress bothers to read what they vote on, or seems to care about it. Funny how the liberal press and politicians have suddenly noticed this - or appeared to. More propaganda.

Homeless Iraq vets showing up at shelters
Washington Times
"U.S. veterans from the war in Iraq are beginning to show up at homeless shelters around the country, and advocates fear they are the leading edge of a new generation of homeless vets not seen since the Vietnam era. 'When we already have people from Iraq on the streets, my God,' said Linda Boone, executive director of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. 'I have talked to enough (shelters) to know we are getting them. It is happening and this nation is not prepared for that.'" (12/07/04)

Again, this appears to be another case of non-government propaganda - taking an event and slanting (spinning) it to be a major problem. Like claims that hundreds of children a day are killed by guns, or that millions of women died from illegal abortions before Roe v. Wade, these claims are bogus and designed to influence voters and government. Sadly, all too often, they do. We can expect to hear this theme more and more in the next months and years, so I guess we need to get used to it.

Mama's Note: Get used to it? Good grief, NO! We need to protest it and correct it at every opportunity. Far too many people have already gotten "used to it", which is why we have so many such myths accepted as fact now.

MA: Veteran libertarian David Brudnoy dies at 64
Boston Globe
"David Brudnoy, who was among Boston's most recognized talk radio voices for more than a quarter of a century, died Thursday night at Massachusetts General Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was 64. Brudnoy, whose voice could be heard every week night in 38 states and in Canada on WBZ since 1986, announced on air in September, 2003 that he was suffering from merkel cell carcinoma, a form of rare but treatable skin cancer. He had already lived with AIDS for more than a decade, beating a viral infection that nearly took his life in 1994. He died at 6:10 p.m., said Mass. General spokeswoman Victoria Brady. Brudnoy's death came a day after, in an interview conducted at his bedside at Massachusetts General Hospital, he announced the cancer had spread into his liver and kidneys -- and that he was ready to die. 'I am not asking my doctors to do anything illegal,' Brudnoy told veteran news anchor Gary LaPierre. 'I wish I could but they won't.'" (12/09/04)

My sympathies to his friends and family.

Treasury to Print Other Countries' Money, Not Just Greenbacks
Associated Press
"The Treasury Department's Bureau of Engraving and Printing has gotten the go-ahead from Congress to print other countries' currencies. A provision giving the bureau this authority is contained in a bill overhauling the country's intelligence operations."

This is a very interesting add-on, and is (to my knowledge) a drastic change in policy, and direct competition to several private US firms, who have been making a sizable chunk of the world’s currency for decades. Of course, the more that the Bureau prints OTHER money, the less time they have to print/inflate our own, right? We are seeing a form of propaganda here - on several levels. Foreign treasuries can reduce their problems with counterfeiting - who can counterfeit the techniques developed by the world’s richest government? Of course, this also shows how much we need to prevent such techniques from being made public by private engravers and printers.

Mama's Note: How do "we" do that without the problems of

WA: Court: Mom's eavesdropping violated law
Seattle Times
"In a victory for rebellious teenagers, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a mother violated Washington's privacy law by eavesdropping on her daughter's phone conversation. Privacy advocates hailed the ruling, but the mother was unrepentant. 'It's ridiculous! Kids have more rights than parents these days,' said mom Carmen Dixon, 47. 'My daughter was out of control, and that was the only way I could get information and keep track of her. I did it all the time.' The Supreme Court ruled that Dixon's testimony against a friend of her daughter should not have been admitted in court because it was based on the intercepted conversation." (12/09/04)

Sadly, this woman’s lawyer obviously did not have enough brains to finesse this matter properly. And hopefully, Washington’s legislature will revisit this law quickly. (But knowing how good their “lawmakers” are, don’t hold your breath.) This does work well with the nanny’s agenda as propaganda - parents can’t be trusted to take care of their children because they won’t give their children the “freedoms” (license) that they “deserve.”

Terror-detainee abuse alleged in affidavit
Richmond Time-Dispatch
"Prisoners at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been beaten while blindfolded and handcuffed, terrorized by attack dogs and forced to take drugs, an Australian detainee said in an affidavit released yesterday. David Hicks, 29, was one of the first prisoners to arrive at the camp in eastern Cuba in January 2002. He is one of only four terror suspects who have been formally charged among 550 detainees there accused of links to Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime or the al-Qaida terror network." (12/10/04)

Since this man has been formally charged, we will have an opportunity to see his allegations proven in a courtroom. Until then, we have to take this with a grain of salt, as part of his defense strategy - not necessarily the truth. Let a jury decide. Again, not all propaganda is GOVERNMENT propaganda.

Military said working on armor upgrade
Las Vegas Review-Journal
"Military officials said Thursday they were working hard to upgrade the armor on Army vehicles in Iraq, a day after a soldier had pressed Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on the subject. President Bush said, 'The concerns expressed are being addressed.' Close to three-quarters of the Humvees in the Iraq war theater now have upgraded armor protection, but many larger trucks and tractor-trailer rigs do not, according to congressional figures. Military officials said that armoring Humvees has been the top priority because they are used to patrol areas where attacks are likely." (12/09/04)

It appears that there was a lot more to the story than first reported, including the fact that the question posed to Rumsfeld (only one or two questions, and NOT “many” as reported in many news programs) was written by a newspaper reporter and supplied to a soldier to be asked (see the next story, from the 278th Cav)- it also seems that upgrading armor is much farther along than all the press coverage yesterday claimed. As to reports that troops are having to scavenge in dumps and junkyards; well, first, troops ALWAYS scrounge, especially in junkyards - and I never met a mechanic (or much of any other soldier) who didn’t believe that he couldn’t improve his issued vehicle a lot, whether we are talking engine, suspension, cargo racks, or armor - the amazing thing would be if there were no “hillbilly” armor). And second, reports are coming back that armor kits are readily available without such measures being necessary, unless you disagree with the priority assigned: 15,000 HUMVEE kits have been issued in the last 12 months - one for every ten troops in theater. But the propaganda continues.

Tennessee reporter linked to Rumsfeld question
USA Today
"A National Guardsman who asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld a bold question about armor on war vehicles went to the microphone after consulting with a Tennessee reporter. Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee Pitts, who is embedded with the 278th Regimental Combat Team, wrote about the incident in an e-mail to co-workers sent Wednesday. Pitts said he worked with guardsmen after being told reporters would not be allowed to ask Rumsfeld any questions." (12/09/04)

You may bemoan the fact that reporters couldn’t ask questions, but this WAS an event for soldiers to speak to their chain of command - would the Guardsman have asked the question if he hadn’t been prompted by Pitts? If Pitts wants the “privileges” of a soldier, perhaps he should enlist. When you are pushing a propaganda agenda rather than just reporting the news, though, you need to have an “edge.”

Reporter gets 6 months' home confinement
Houston Chronicle
"A TV reporter was sentenced today to six months of home confinement for refusing to say who leaked him an FBI videotape of a politician taking a bribe. Jim Taricani, 55, could have gotten up to six months in federal prison. He was found guilty last month of criminal contempt for defying U.S. District Judge Ernest Torres' order to identify his source. The Taricani had argued that he had promised to protect his source's identity." (12/09/04)

Of course, if we wonder how come the media thinks that they deserve special privileges… How did this guy get off so lightly? Most of us, if we DARE to disagree with a judge, get a nice cell in some federal prison!

Mama's Note: Just as with "whistle-blowers", reporters need to be able to protect their sources for information that keeps both government and business honest.

Bush rules out Social Security tax hike
Indianapolis Star
"President Bush on Thursday ruled out raising taxes to finance the centerpiece of his second-term domestic agenda: a Social Security overhaul to help the system survive an impending wave of retiring baby boomers. Three years after his Social Security commission issued recommendations on how to repair the system, Bush remained noncommittal Thursday on how he would pay for the estimated $2 trillion cost of revamping Social Security. But vast new borrowing seemed increasingly likely." (12/09/04)

The $2 Trillion price tag bandied around seems very high, unless there is no attempt to pay back the trillions already sucked up by government borrowing (from the trust fund) over the last 40 years. This seems like a preemptive strike by the Bush administration against DP claims that he just wants an excuse to imitate his father. To me, the question is, can Bush keep this promise? Scrapping Social Security would, of course, be the best way to prevent a tax increase, period. Cutting a passel of other, unconstitutional and unnecessary, government programs, to free money to retire the national debt (much of which is, in fact, owed to the social security “contributors” since it is owed to the trust fund) would pay off those people, without an impact on taxes OR their living (except positive).

You're voting for whom?
MSNBC/Newsweek
"The much-anticipated Shiite list of candidates for the forthcoming elections in Iraq was presented today-in partial anonymity and peculiar secrecy. This is the slate of candidates who will almost certainly win elections if they take place on schedule next Jan. 30. And in a few days it will have to begin campaigning. The grouping of 228 candidates, a coalition running together as the newly formed United Iraqi Alliance, today formally filed for a place on the ballot at the Baghdad offices of the Independent Elections Commission for Iraq and then held a press conference at which representatives of the group refused to reveal the names of those on their list, or even who was at its head." (12/09/04)

Do you get the feeling that these Shiite don’t know just how elections are supposed to work? I suppose their candidates will make campaign appearances wearing hoods? Of course, these are the guys who (despite their public protestations) really don’t WANT elections because (1) the US wants them, (2) they don’t believe in democracy (or a republic, either one), and (3) after decades of Sunni dominance, they think it is their turn, and know that a republic won’t let them. As for these people being the automatic winners - well, unless the elections are at large or the gerrymandering is really bad or the Sunni really don’t have their act together and fragment so badly that they lose, it seems as though at least some minority candidates will win seats in both the legislature and local governments.

Food running so low aboard space station that crew ordered to cut back on calories
Dodge City Daily Globe
"Food is running so low aboard the international space station that the two crewmen have been instructed to cut back on calories, at least until a Russian supply ship arrives in a little over two weeks, NASA said Thursday. If anything goes wrong with the Christmas Day delivery, the space agency will have no choice, given the grounding of its shuttle fleet, but to abandon the station and bring the men home in early January. This cargo ship 'is very critical, there's no question about that,' said NASA's space station program manager, Bill Gerstenmaier. Supply runs to the space station have been conducted exclusively by the Russians ever since last year's Columbia disaster." (12/09/04)

And here we thought that death by famine was something only government-led settlers and socialist types in the early American wilderness faced - but we forget the ineptitude of government!

TN: Man who shot at girls in driveway defends actions
Tennessean
"It was near midnight on Oct. 23, and all William Earl Cherry saw from inside his Carters Creek Pike house was a strange car in his driveway. Cherry couldn't tell who was inside, but he had experienced problems with trespassers before and thought someone could be trying to break into his house. So he fired a warning shot and then yelled for the vehicle's occupants to get out. Alarmed, the driver turned on the headlights and sped away. Cherry shot at the tires, hitting the car three times. [Thursday], Cherry, 67, was in Williamson County court, where he spoke during a preliminary hearing, explaining his actions in public for the first time. The former Battle Ground Academy trustee, well known in Williamson County, faces three counts of attempted second-degree murder for shooting at three Clarksville girls who were lost and waiting in his driveway for help." (12/09/04)

If this is indeed an accurate report, this guy goofed big-time, although I think the charge is probably too severe. First, he was wrong to fire essentially blindly, just because it was a strange car. But worse, he got the results he wanted (the end to the trespassing) and when he fired at the fleeing car, on a public road, he was very definitely in the wrong. Idiots like this guy make it harder for all the rest of us. Because this does make the gun-hater propaganda easier.

CA: 9-year-old attacked in her own bedroom; father chases rapist into police's arms
San Francisco Chronicle
"A convicted sex offender broke into a San Francisco home in the Ingleside district and raped a 9-year-old girl in her bedroom in an hour-long attack that ended when the girl's mother walked into the room, San Francisco police said. The man, police say, fled on foot and was chased by the girl's father, who at one point struck him with a 2-by-4. The man continued fleeing through several backyards and was captured by police and identified as Roberto Gamero, 36, of San Francisco, police said. 'It's a parent's worst nightmare,' said San Francisco police Deputy Chief Morris Tabak of Sunday's attack. 'It's pretty horrific. All of us who are parents, it sends chills up your spine.' Gamero, a prior sex offender who was on probation for an earlier domestic violence case in San Mateo County, now faces charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child, child molestation, false imprisonment and burglary stemming from the attack, which shocked veteran investigators." (12/09/04)

The shocking thing is that people like this are on probation because there isn’t enough room in the prisons, in large part because the system is clogged up with nonviolent drug offenders. If you ever think of living in San Francisco - remember this, and don’t.

Mama's Note: No, the shocking thing is that he could get into the home undetected, to start with, and wasn't shot dead before he could touch the girl. One would think she'd scream bloody murder if someone attacked her, so how come her parents didn't know about it until it was over? Predators like this won't need "parole" when their potential victims are armed and alert. That is the deterrent that really works, not long jail terms.

Jordan: Jailed candidate offers to quit race
Washington Times
"Jailed leader Marwan Barghouti will quit the Palestinian presidential race if his political demands are met by his rival, former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, a Fatah official said yesterday. A withdrawal by Barghouti, a popular grassroots figure in the Palestinian uprising, would end a simmering political crisis and all but assure victory for Abbas, a moderate favored by Israel and Washington as a potential peacemaker. The two have been running neck and neck ahead of the Jan. 9 ballot for a successor to Yasser Arafat. But an opinion poll by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center found yesterday that Abbas has a lead of more than five percentage points. Meanwhile, President Bush yesterday approved $20 million in direct aid to the Palestinian Authority to help pay its utility bills to Israel." (12/09/04)

It appears that Abbas would be better off (as would any forlorn hope of peace in Israel) if he rejects Barghouti’s offer - Barghouti seems to be aware that his power is slipping away. As for the $20 million, what happens to all that money various pro-Palestinian organizations in Europe and the US collect? Why should we taxpayers have to pay their light bill, while we can barely afford our own?

Mama's Note: Just think how wonderfully our economy would be doing if this insane government wasn't playing Santa Claus to half the world and Atilla the Hun to the rest of it. All the folks who are following the government's bad habits of spending more than they earn will soon be regretting that dearly. Credit is not "free".

TN: Committee calls for income tax
Tennessean
"Tennesseans would pay a lower sales tax and a new state income tax under a proposal approved by a state tax panel [Thursday]. In the proposal made by the Tax Structure Study Commission, the new tax model would not raise any more money for the state. The sales tax would be reduced to 6% for a combined state and local rate, but sales taxes on groceries would be a lower 4%. The business franchise tax would be cut in half, and a graduated income tax of between 3.5%-6% would be imposed. Single filers making less than $15,000 would be exempt, as would married joint filers making less than $30,000." (12/09/04)

No surprise to this, as Tom and crew point out: the folks at Tennessee Tax Revolt have their work cut out for them.

Bases Endanger American Indians - Military Testing Near Tribal Lands
(Washington Times, December 9, 2004, Pg. 5)
The last major push by the Army against American Indian tribes took place in the late 1800s, but a new report finds that the military still poses a danger to native Americans. The expansion of U.S. military bases during the 20th century was largely concentrated in the same remote, arid places in the West that tribal reservations were located. That meant American Indians could have been disproportionately exposed to toxic chemicals and unexploded bombs when compared with non-Indians, according to the report.

Another piece of absolute propaganda garbage - publicizing a study that should have been bounced from the beginning by peer review and the thesis committee. Although a short article, this piece of fluff is so full of false factoids and innuendo that it made me sick to my stomach to read it. It also reports on the quality of work I MIGHT accept from my 8th grader, armed with a decent GIS program, and for this someone got their master’s or doctorate? There are, and have been, serious problems with military training areas and contamination of lands by bombing and other training, as well as industrial and military activities - and more information is certainly needed. But the impact is FAR from restricted to Indian tribal areas - much of the West and South was “sacrificed” for the “good of the nation.” This was obvious during WW1 and WW2, but most notable during the Cold War, when hundreds of missile silos were built, not around the massive cities, but rather, in the rural and frontier areas of the West and Southwest - the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Montana, and Wyoming. There were no massive bombing ranges in New York or Pennsylvania or Illinois, but the federal government saw fit to place thousands of facilities in Western and Southern states.

Supremes take on file-sharing
CBS News
The Supreme Court agreed Friday to consider whether two Internet file-sharing services may be held responsible for their customers' online swapping of copyrighted songs and movies. Justices will review a lower ruling in favor of Grokster Ltd. and StreamCast Networks Inc., which came as a blow to recording companies and movie studios seeking to stop the illegal distribution of their works. If the lower ruling is upheld, the entertainment industry would have to take the more costly and less popular route of going directly after millions of online file-swappers believed to distribute songs and movies illegally. Recording companies have already sued more than 3,400 such users; at least 600 of the cases were eventually settled for roughly $3,000 each.

This is a case we will all be watching closely, I’m sure, now that the Supremes have taken it on. Hopefully, they will decide in favor of freedom, and against those who want to turn businesses into ersatz cops.

Driving Risk Dropping
Akron Beacon Journal
Despite perpetual assertions to the contrary, our highways have never been safer. Granted, the number of fatalities hasn't changed much. Year after year, we manage to lose roughly 42,000 Americans. But that's because a lot more people are driving these days. And the average driver is traveling 1,571 more miles a year than in 1990. The best way to get a handle on safety is to look at figures tracking the number of fatalities compared with miles driven. In 1975, we lost 2.52 people per 100 million miles of automobile travel. By 1985, the figure was down to 1.86. By 1995, it was down to 1.52. And today we've dropped to 1.2. (WARNING - Requires registration - visit “bugmenot.com” for assistance!)

Well, with the miles I put on each month - well, lets just say that I’m bringing up the average for about 40 people (as compared to 1990) just by myself - this is good news. So when the nannies go around screaming about how more and more people are dying on the highways each year and we need to pass more laws and demand more safety features and more taxes and more spending and and and --- just remind them of this.

Nathan Barton is a libertarian writing from the Black Hills or the Four Corners, or some place out in the West, in between putting on all those miles. He welcomes comments on his comments! See Nathan's own blog, Liberty's Outpost.

To Read previous Commentaries, go to the archives page and click onto the day link. The commentaries are linked from the daily front pages.

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