Presstitutes

Jay Leno’s at the Top of his Game, so Why Is NBC Replacing Him?

"The irony is that Leno has never been more dominant: the Nielsen ratings for the second week in July have him beating CBS’s David Letterman by a 43 percent margin in the all-important 'viewers 18 to 49' category (on which advertising rates are set) and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel by 75 percent. So why sack him now? 'I don’t get it,' says Ohlmeyer, who as president of NBC’s West Coast operations in the mid-1990s helped guide Leno to victory over Letterman. 'It’s like nobody understands history. Here they take him off the air four years ago, and naturally he loses his impetus, and now he’s come back, and he’s kicking ass again—so let’s take him off.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJay Leno’s at the Top of his Game, so Why Is NBC Replacing Him?

David Galland: “Trained-Monkey Collaborators of Death”

"Acting under political pressure, the government brought a case that clearly had no merit, with no supporting evidence, then proceeded in an underhanded way that clearly demonstrated bias… but when the jury votes unanimously to acquit, somehow the verdict is 'surprising'? Also choosing to ignore the verdict, certain leading lights in the black community have organized protests and even threatened Zimmerman with death. And just to add a little comedy to the proceedings, this week the Detroit City Council took time out from their busy schedule of lording it over their bankrupt domain to unanimously pass a resolution calling for a civil rights investigation into Zimmerman." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDavid Galland: “Trained-Monkey Collaborators of Death”

TV station uses copyright law to erase embarrassing broadcast

"A San Francisco Bay Area television station that became world famous for a humiliating gaffe during a news broadcast about a deadly plane crash is apparently trying to erase the event through copyright law. While Campbell and the station quickly issued an apology, that did not stop clips of the broadcast from flooding video-sharing sites and social networks. But the Fox TV affiliate has arrived at a novel solution to its embarrassing moment: the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which requires Web sites to remove copyrighted material at the copyright holder's request." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTV station uses copyright law to erase embarrassing broadcast

‘Are We Rome?’ Was A Questioned Asked and Answered Long Ago

"The US hunts down and kills very many innocents abroad by drone. It’s a bit of a sport—so much so that decadent New Rome has even established a 'new medal that honors drone pilots and computer experts' for their long-distance killing prowess. War-time slaughter has just been industrialized, streamlined, made more efficient in our times. Compare the demographic and economic indices of countries the US has invaded—for their own good, of course, but without their consent—before and after the 'merciful' intervention. The latter-day Rome has mechanized the warfare-state’s killing and has refined its propaganda wing to an art." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Are We Rome?’ Was A Questioned Asked and Answered Long Ago

Former CIA Officer Philip Giraldi: ‘Edward Snowden Is No Traitor’

"Even accepting the somewhat fast and loose standard for being at war, it is difficult to discern where Snowden has been supporting the al-Qaeda and 'associated groups' enemy. Snowden has had no contact with al-Qaeda and he has not provided them with any classified information. Nor has he ever spoken up on their behalf, given them advice, or supported in any way their activities directed against the United States. The fallback argument that Snowden has alerted terrorists to the fact that Washington is able to read their emails and listen in on their phone conversations—enabling them to change their methods of communication—is hardly worth considering." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer CIA Officer Philip Giraldi: ‘Edward Snowden Is No Traitor’

George Zimmerman Rescues Family of Four from Highway Crash

"George Zimmerman, who has been in hiding since he was acquitted of murder in the death of Trayvon Martin, emerged to help rescue a family who was trapped in an overturned vehicle, police said today. Zimmerman was one of two men who came to the aid of a family of four -- two parents and two children -- trapped inside a blue Ford Explorer SUV that had rolled over. By the time police arrived, two people - including Zimmerman - had already helped the family get out of the overturned car, the sheriff's office said. No one was reported to be injured. Zimmerman was not a witness to the crash and left after speaking with the deputy, police said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGeorge Zimmerman Rescues Family of Four from Highway Crash

Glenn Greenwald: About the Reuters article

"The current criticism of Snowden is that he's in Russia. But the reason he's in Russia isn't that he chose to be there. It's because the US blocked him from leaving: first by revoking his passport (with no due process or trial), then by pressuring its allies to deny airspace rights to any plane they thought might be carrying him to asylum (even one carrying the democratically elected president of a sovereign state), then by bullying small countries out of letting him land for re-fueling. Given the extraordinary amount of documents he has and their sensitivity, it is incredibly foolish for the US government to force him to remain in Russia." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: About the Reuters article

Zimmerman can get his gun back, has ‘even more reason’ to carry now

"With the trial at an end and the jury finding him not guilty, George Zimmerman now has the right by law to have his gun back. Zimmerman’s lawyer, Mark O’Mara, was asked whether Zimmerman intended to carry a gun again. 'Yes. Even more reason now, isn’t there?' O’Mara replies. 'There are a lot of people out there who actually hate him.' And although by Florida law Zimmerman has the right to have his gun returned to him, that doesn’t necessarily mean his concealed carry permit will be handed over quite as easily. At the suggestion of his lawyers, Zimmerman, who wore a bullet proof vest in public during the trial, will likely leave the state of Florida." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingZimmerman can get his gun back, has ‘even more reason’ to carry now

Edward Snowden’s travels overshadow his leaks in U.S. media

"After a flurry of bipartisan denouncements of the leaks, and some calls by lawmakers to revisit the authority Congress bestows on the NSA and other intelligence agencies, the House and Senate returned to executive nominations, debates on student loan interest rates and a farm bill. Proponents of reform of the surveillance programs worry that the saga of Snowden, who has eluded US capture for weeks while holing up in a Moscow airport transit terminal and who on Tuesday requested asylum from Russia, is muscling debate about surveillance policy out of the US headlines." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden’s travels overshadow his leaks in U.S. media