Reign of Error
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Reign of Error: Paul Krugman, NY Times: "Amid everything else that’s going wrong in the world, here’s one more piece of depressing news: a few days ago the Harris Poll reported that 50 percent of Americans now believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when we invaded, up from 36 percent in February 2005. Meanwhile, 64 percent still believe that Saddam had strong links with Al Qaeda. "At one level, this shouldn’t be all that surprising. The people now running America never accept inconvenient truths. Long after facts they don’t like have been established, whether it’s the absence of any wrongdoing by the Clintons in the Whitewater affair or the absence of W.M.D. in Iraq, the propaganda machine that supports the current administration is still at work, seeking to flush those facts down the memory hole. "But it’s dismaying to realize that the machine remains so effective. "Here’s how the process works. "First, if the facts fail to support the administration position on an issue — stem cells, global warming, tax cuts, income inequality, Iraq — officials refuse to acknowledge the facts. "Sometimes the officials simply lie. 'The tax cuts have made the tax code more progressive and reduced income inequality,' Edward Lazear, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, declared a couple of months ago. More often, however, they bob and weave. "Consider, for example, Condoleezza Rice’s response a few months ago, when pressed to explain why the administration always links the Iraq war to 9/11. She admitted that Saddam, 'as far as we know, did not order Sept. 11, may not have even known of Sept. 11.' (Notice how her statement, while literally true, nonetheless seems to imply both that it’s still possible that Saddam ordered 9/11, and that he probably did know about it.) 'But,' she went on, 'that’s a very narrow definition of what caused Sept. 11.' "Meanwhile, apparatchiks in the media spread disinformation. It’s hard to imagine what the world looks like to the large number of Americans who get their news by watching Fox and listening to Rush Limbaugh, but I get a pretty good sense from my mailbag. "Many of my correspondents are living in a world in which the economy is better than it ever was under Bill Clinton, newly released documents show that Saddam really was in cahoots with Osama, and the discovery of some decayed 1980’s-vintage chemical munitions vindicates everything the administration said about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. (Hyping of the munitions find may partly exp
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Reign of Error: Paul Krugman, NY Times: "Amid everything else that’s going wrong in the world, here’s one more piece of depressing news: a few days ago the Harris Poll reported that 50 percent of Americans now believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when we invaded, up from 36 percent in February 2005. Meanwhile, 64 percent still believe that Saddam had strong links with Al Qaeda. "At one level, this shouldn’t be all that surprising. The people now running America never accept inconvenient truths. Long after facts they don’t like have been established, whether it’s the absence of any wrongdoing by the Clintons in the Whitewater affair or the absence of W.M.D. in Iraq, the propaganda machine that supports the current administration is still at work, seeking to flush those facts down the memory hole. "But it’s dismaying to realize that the machine remains so effective. "Here’s how the process works. "First, if the facts fail to support the administration position on an issue — stem cells, global warming, tax cuts, income inequality, Iraq — officials refuse to acknowledge the facts. "Sometimes the officials simply lie. 'The tax cuts have made the tax code more progressive and reduced income inequality,' Edward Lazear, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, declared a couple of months ago. More often, however, they bob and weave. "Consider, for example, Condoleezza Rice’s response a few months ago, when pressed to explain why the administration always links the Iraq war to 9/11. She admitted that Saddam, 'as far as we know, did not order Sept. 11, may not have even known of Sept. 11.' (Notice how her statement, while literally true, nonetheless seems to imply both that it’s still possible that Saddam ordered 9/11, and that he probably did know about it.) 'But,' she went on, 'that’s a very narrow definition of what caused Sept. 11.' "Meanwhile, apparatchiks in the media spread disinformation. It’s hard to imagine what the world looks like to the large number of Americans who get their news by watching Fox and listening to Rush Limbaugh, but I get a pretty good sense from my mailbag. "Many of my correspondents are living in a world in which the economy is better than it ever was under Bill Clinton, newly released documents show that Saddam really was in cahoots with Osama, and the discovery of some decayed 1980’s-vintage chemical munitions vindicates everything the administration said about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. (Hyping of the munitions find may partly exp
John Carson wrote:
Who would have imagined that history would prove so easy to rewrite in a democratic nation with a free press?
Jefferson? Hearst? Chomsky?! (...is there a prize?)
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Reign of Error: Paul Krugman, NY Times: "Amid everything else that’s going wrong in the world, here’s one more piece of depressing news: a few days ago the Harris Poll reported that 50 percent of Americans now believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when we invaded, up from 36 percent in February 2005. Meanwhile, 64 percent still believe that Saddam had strong links with Al Qaeda. "At one level, this shouldn’t be all that surprising. The people now running America never accept inconvenient truths. Long after facts they don’t like have been established, whether it’s the absence of any wrongdoing by the Clintons in the Whitewater affair or the absence of W.M.D. in Iraq, the propaganda machine that supports the current administration is still at work, seeking to flush those facts down the memory hole. "But it’s dismaying to realize that the machine remains so effective. "Here’s how the process works. "First, if the facts fail to support the administration position on an issue — stem cells, global warming, tax cuts, income inequality, Iraq — officials refuse to acknowledge the facts. "Sometimes the officials simply lie. 'The tax cuts have made the tax code more progressive and reduced income inequality,' Edward Lazear, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, declared a couple of months ago. More often, however, they bob and weave. "Consider, for example, Condoleezza Rice’s response a few months ago, when pressed to explain why the administration always links the Iraq war to 9/11. She admitted that Saddam, 'as far as we know, did not order Sept. 11, may not have even known of Sept. 11.' (Notice how her statement, while literally true, nonetheless seems to imply both that it’s still possible that Saddam ordered 9/11, and that he probably did know about it.) 'But,' she went on, 'that’s a very narrow definition of what caused Sept. 11.' "Meanwhile, apparatchiks in the media spread disinformation. It’s hard to imagine what the world looks like to the large number of Americans who get their news by watching Fox and listening to Rush Limbaugh, but I get a pretty good sense from my mailbag. "Many of my correspondents are living in a world in which the economy is better than it ever was under Bill Clinton, newly released documents show that Saddam really was in cahoots with Osama, and the discovery of some decayed 1980’s-vintage chemical munitions vindicates everything the administration said about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. (Hyping of the munitions find may partly exp
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AndyKEnZ wrote:
Mr Krugman is a brave jounalist indeed, I for one applaud him.
It is an under-appreciated fact that Krugman is a world famous Princeton University economist (principally for his work on international trade theory). Journalism is very much his second job (and one that costs him a lot of money to hold due to the NY Times rules on consultancy and paid speaking engagements), so he doesn't have any personal financial concerns to worry about. He just has to endure a lot of abuse.
John Carson "To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason is like administering medicine to the dead." Thomas Paine
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Reign of Error: Paul Krugman, NY Times: "Amid everything else that’s going wrong in the world, here’s one more piece of depressing news: a few days ago the Harris Poll reported that 50 percent of Americans now believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when we invaded, up from 36 percent in February 2005. Meanwhile, 64 percent still believe that Saddam had strong links with Al Qaeda. "At one level, this shouldn’t be all that surprising. The people now running America never accept inconvenient truths. Long after facts they don’t like have been established, whether it’s the absence of any wrongdoing by the Clintons in the Whitewater affair or the absence of W.M.D. in Iraq, the propaganda machine that supports the current administration is still at work, seeking to flush those facts down the memory hole. "But it’s dismaying to realize that the machine remains so effective. "Here’s how the process works. "First, if the facts fail to support the administration position on an issue — stem cells, global warming, tax cuts, income inequality, Iraq — officials refuse to acknowledge the facts. "Sometimes the officials simply lie. 'The tax cuts have made the tax code more progressive and reduced income inequality,' Edward Lazear, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, declared a couple of months ago. More often, however, they bob and weave. "Consider, for example, Condoleezza Rice’s response a few months ago, when pressed to explain why the administration always links the Iraq war to 9/11. She admitted that Saddam, 'as far as we know, did not order Sept. 11, may not have even known of Sept. 11.' (Notice how her statement, while literally true, nonetheless seems to imply both that it’s still possible that Saddam ordered 9/11, and that he probably did know about it.) 'But,' she went on, 'that’s a very narrow definition of what caused Sept. 11.' "Meanwhile, apparatchiks in the media spread disinformation. It’s hard to imagine what the world looks like to the large number of Americans who get their news by watching Fox and listening to Rush Limbaugh, but I get a pretty good sense from my mailbag. "Many of my correspondents are living in a world in which the economy is better than it ever was under Bill Clinton, newly released documents show that Saddam really was in cahoots with Osama, and the discovery of some decayed 1980’s-vintage chemical munitions vindicates everything the administration said about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. (Hyping of the munitions find may partly exp
It is only as democratic as the people make it. As for a free press that is up to the editors and the support they get from the owners. 5 for oustanding journalism. Elaine :rose:
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Reign of Error: Paul Krugman, NY Times: "Amid everything else that’s going wrong in the world, here’s one more piece of depressing news: a few days ago the Harris Poll reported that 50 percent of Americans now believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when we invaded, up from 36 percent in February 2005. Meanwhile, 64 percent still believe that Saddam had strong links with Al Qaeda. "At one level, this shouldn’t be all that surprising. The people now running America never accept inconvenient truths. Long after facts they don’t like have been established, whether it’s the absence of any wrongdoing by the Clintons in the Whitewater affair or the absence of W.M.D. in Iraq, the propaganda machine that supports the current administration is still at work, seeking to flush those facts down the memory hole. "But it’s dismaying to realize that the machine remains so effective. "Here’s how the process works. "First, if the facts fail to support the administration position on an issue — stem cells, global warming, tax cuts, income inequality, Iraq — officials refuse to acknowledge the facts. "Sometimes the officials simply lie. 'The tax cuts have made the tax code more progressive and reduced income inequality,' Edward Lazear, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, declared a couple of months ago. More often, however, they bob and weave. "Consider, for example, Condoleezza Rice’s response a few months ago, when pressed to explain why the administration always links the Iraq war to 9/11. She admitted that Saddam, 'as far as we know, did not order Sept. 11, may not have even known of Sept. 11.' (Notice how her statement, while literally true, nonetheless seems to imply both that it’s still possible that Saddam ordered 9/11, and that he probably did know about it.) 'But,' she went on, 'that’s a very narrow definition of what caused Sept. 11.' "Meanwhile, apparatchiks in the media spread disinformation. It’s hard to imagine what the world looks like to the large number of Americans who get their news by watching Fox and listening to Rush Limbaugh, but I get a pretty good sense from my mailbag. "Many of my correspondents are living in a world in which the economy is better than it ever was under Bill Clinton, newly released documents show that Saddam really was in cahoots with Osama, and the discovery of some decayed 1980’s-vintage chemical munitions vindicates everything the administration said about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. (Hyping of the munitions find may partly exp
John Carson wrote:
It’s hard to imagine what the world looks like to the large number of Americans who get their news by watching Fox and listening to Rush Limbaugh
You'll see when the yanks wake up and read this post. :-D
pseudonym67 My Articles[^] "So keep that smile on your face. Have a drink to help you sleep at night. They got what they desired. We're passive in their brave new world." New Model Army
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John Carson wrote:
It’s hard to imagine what the world looks like to the large number of Americans who get their news by watching Fox and listening to Rush Limbaugh
You'll see when the yanks wake up and read this post. :-D
pseudonym67 My Articles[^] "So keep that smile on your face. Have a drink to help you sleep at night. They got what they desired. We're passive in their brave new world." New Model Army
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pseudonym67 wrote:
You'll see when the yanks wake up and read this post
Yep, your post will go for hero to zero at about 14:00 CET.
Truth is the subjection of reality to an individuals perception
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Damn, I never knew I had such power. Perhaps I can get you to agree with me on Israel. Enchala.
Truth is the subjection of reality to an individuals perception
fat_boy wrote:
Truth is the subjection of reality to an individuals perception
There are 3 kinds of reality: yours, mine and the truth. I can't see how we'd ever agree on Israel: our positions are so polarised and you are correct when you say my position is colored by my Jewishness. How could it not be? What is coloring your position? (and don't say dead babies: there are too many dead on both sides).
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fat_boy wrote:
Truth is the subjection of reality to an individuals perception
There are 3 kinds of reality: yours, mine and the truth. I can't see how we'd ever agree on Israel: our positions are so polarised and you are correct when you say my position is colored by my Jewishness. How could it not be? What is coloring your position? (and don't say dead babies: there are too many dead on both sides).
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bookmarks You can ignore relatives but the neighbours live next door>>What is coloring your position? (and don't say dead babies: there are too many dead on both sides). That sure is in my case.
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fat_boy wrote:
Truth is the subjection of reality to an individuals perception
There are 3 kinds of reality: yours, mine and the truth. I can't see how we'd ever agree on Israel: our positions are so polarised and you are correct when you say my position is colored by my Jewishness. How could it not be? What is coloring your position? (and don't say dead babies: there are too many dead on both sides).
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bookmarks You can ignore relatives but the neighbours live next doordigital man wrote:
There are 3 kinds of reality: yours, mine and the truth.
Or as I like to see it: There are three kinds of Truth: Yours, Mine and Reality. (Perhaps Reality is God, but thats another debate). And our perceptions filter that Reality,and give us our perceived Truth. As a non Jew, in fact, totally irreligious, I see the bahaviour of Israel towards Arabs as abusive. An example. The putting up of the wall a few years ago involved, in one section, running it straight through an Arab farmers field of olive trees. So the IDF get out the chain saws and cut a path through the middle. When the wall is built, he wont be able ot get to the other half of his land. Now, you might say, 'Oh, its just a few fucking trees man', but, for this farmer, it is his livelihood, all he has to feed his family. And this is the least of what the IDF has done to Arabs over the years. -- modified at 6:53 Friday 28th July, 2006
Truth is the subjection of reality to an individuals perception
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>>What is coloring your position? (and don't say dead babies: there are too many dead on both sides). That sure is in my case.
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digital man wrote:
There are 3 kinds of reality: yours, mine and the truth.
Or as I like to see it: There are three kinds of Truth: Yours, Mine and Reality. (Perhaps Reality is God, but thats another debate). And our perceptions filter that Reality,and give us our perceived Truth. As a non Jew, in fact, totally irreligious, I see the bahaviour of Israel towards Arabs as abusive. An example. The putting up of the wall a few years ago involved, in one section, running it straight through an Arab farmers field of olive trees. So the IDF get out the chain saws and cut a path through the middle. When the wall is built, he wont be able ot get to the other half of his land. Now, you might say, 'Oh, its just a few fucking trees man', but, for this farmer, it is his livelihood, all he has to feed his family. And this is the least of what the IDF has done to Arabs over the years. -- modified at 6:53 Friday 28th July, 2006
Truth is the subjection of reality to an individuals perception
This is a one-sided distortion of the truth. If the Palestinians (and their chums the Hezzbollites (?) would accept any one of the innumerable peace offers that Israel has made then there would be no need for Israel to attempt to isolate herself from a group of people whose raison d'etre appears to be the annhilation of Israel. Yes, it sucks but what else should they do? Roll out a red carpet and jump into the med? And they wouldn't be in Lebanon now if Hezzbolah would have stopped lobbing bombs into Northern Israel. Again, what should Israel do? Let it carry on for another few years? That is both unrealistic and naive: it's like letting your next door neighbour kick you each time you pass his door and you just smile and say good evening. How long before you say enough is enough?
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pseudonym67 wrote:
You'll see when the yanks wake up and read this post
Yep, your post will go for hero to zero at about 14:00 CET.
Truth is the subjection of reality to an individuals perception
fat_boy wrote:
Yep, your post will go for hero to zero at about 14:00 CET.
Heh. So true, so true. Let's get all the EU together to vote this puppy up!!
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>>So one side's dead babies are more important No, I have never ever said that.. I consider the Hezzbollahs to be terrorists and should be destroyed. However by killing babies and civilians, I pretty much get the same opinion about Israel. In order to not appear as bad as the terrorists, Israel should give higest priority to not harm the civilians, even if it costs more Israeli soldiers lives when they cant use bomb raids. This is not how Israel currently handles the matter, they attack in blind rage. //Roger
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This is a one-sided distortion of the truth. If the Palestinians (and their chums the Hezzbollites (?) would accept any one of the innumerable peace offers that Israel has made then there would be no need for Israel to attempt to isolate herself from a group of people whose raison d'etre appears to be the annhilation of Israel. Yes, it sucks but what else should they do? Roll out a red carpet and jump into the med? And they wouldn't be in Lebanon now if Hezzbolah would have stopped lobbing bombs into Northern Israel. Again, what should Israel do? Let it carry on for another few years? That is both unrealistic and naive: it's like letting your next door neighbour kick you each time you pass his door and you just smile and say good evening. How long before you say enough is enough?
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bookmarks You can ignore relatives but the neighbours live next doorThe Arab farmer is not part of the Israel vs Hezbollah issue. He is just a simple peasant with 50 olive trees, who sells his olives in the market, has a cup of mint tea on the way home has dinner and shags his wife. ie, a normal life. Why does Israel always put these walls up on Arabs land, and often of another countries ladn (look at the way the border has drifted form the 48 original), and never on a Jewish farmers land? Because Israeli law does not protect the Arab, it only protects the Jew.
Truth is the subjection of reality to an individuals perception
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This is a one-sided distortion of the truth. If the Palestinians (and their chums the Hezzbollites (?) would accept any one of the innumerable peace offers that Israel has made then there would be no need for Israel to attempt to isolate herself from a group of people whose raison d'etre appears to be the annhilation of Israel. Yes, it sucks but what else should they do? Roll out a red carpet and jump into the med? And they wouldn't be in Lebanon now if Hezzbolah would have stopped lobbing bombs into Northern Israel. Again, what should Israel do? Let it carry on for another few years? That is both unrealistic and naive: it's like letting your next door neighbour kick you each time you pass his door and you just smile and say good evening. How long before you say enough is enough?
home
bookmarks You can ignore relatives but the neighbours live next door -
>>So one side's dead babies are more important No, I have never ever said that.. I consider the Hezzbollahs to be terrorists and should be destroyed. However by killing babies and civilians, I pretty much get the same opinion about Israel. In order to not appear as bad as the terrorists, Israel should give higest priority to not harm the civilians, even if it costs more Israeli soldiers lives when they cant use bomb raids. This is not how Israel currently handles the matter, they attack in blind rage. //Roger
How do you feel about the UK's use of air support in the Afghan conflict? Many civilians lost their lives in a recent ambush when a small recon force was trapped by enemy fire from 3 directions after leaving a 'friendly' village. They would have all died if several tonnes of ordinance hadn't been deployed.
Ryan
"Michael Moore and Mel Gibson are the same person, except for a few sit-ups. Moore thought his cheesy political blooper reel was going to tell people how to vote. Mel thought that his little gay SM movie about his imaginary friend was going to help him get to heaven." - Penn Jillette
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>>So one side's dead babies are more important No, I have never ever said that.. I consider the Hezzbollahs to be terrorists and should be destroyed. However by killing babies and civilians, I pretty much get the same opinion about Israel. In order to not appear as bad as the terrorists, Israel should give higest priority to not harm the civilians, even if it costs more Israeli soldiers lives when they cant use bomb raids. This is not how Israel currently handles the matter, they attack in blind rage. //Roger
Utter nonsense. If the poor sods killed by the bombs choose not to leave or are held against their will after being given a number of warnings that the bombs are coming then what more can the Israelis do if they have intelligence or believe that the targets, themselves, are legitimate? You need to realise that the terrorists use their own women and shildren as human shields in the foolish belief that Israel will not attack or they attack from so close to UN posts as to put those posts in mortal danger as has now been seen.
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