Saturday, October 21, 2006
They Want You To Vote In The Dark
One of the odder things in the weeks before the election is the general agreement among our establishment, including the press, that the Baker-Hamilton findings shouldn’t be released now because they might have an effect on the election. What ever could the reason for that be. Are they afraid that the findings won’t reflect reality, don’t they trust these two stalwarts of the establishment to tell the truth and to so deceive the voters? If they don’t have any confidence in their material then that would certainly justify not publishing. If that’s it then how do they feel confidence in hinting at a release just after the election? If they have failed in collecting the information they should resign and announce their inability.
But that is certainly not their reason. Whatever these two release would be treated to the full measure of awed reverence that any product of the DC power structure is given. If it was pure bilge it would be treated that way and it is certain that whatever gets published will not be entirely devoid of facts. So it must be something else.
This reluctance to give The People information about the most important issue facing the country today so they can use it during the election is proof of something quite disturbing. It is a corrupt deal between the power elite and the media. It’s nothing less than a repudiation of government by the People. Baker saying that he wants "to take this thing out of politics" makes that clear. Politics is the process of self-government, it’s not some indecent act. Politics, ultimately, is the only justification for the public life of Baker and Hamilton, the only reason that anyone should pay attention to whatever this group of eminent people produce.
Our elites don’t believe that before they perform the most important act of government, casting an informed vote, The People are entitled to the best possible information. This is just another symptom of the fact that the elite doesn’t think the people have any business governing themselves. The facts of the War in Iraq are absolutely the kind of thing that a Voter should use in making up their mind.
If Baker and Hamilton are afraid that they will be criticized, too bad. This isn’t all about them. If they have reliable information about this war they have no right to keep it hidden until after The People could have used it. Jefferson was right, a government is only legitimate if it acts with the consent of the governed. An uninformed public cannot give legitimate consent, the government that results from ignorance cannot be legitimate, it will produce a disaster.
How dare these two hacks withhold any facts from the Voters. How dare the alleged news media endorse that decision. The media purports to exist for the purpose of informing the People so they can govern but here we see their real purpose, to shield the elite from information that could result in their replacement. Anyone calling themselves journalists who have supported this decision should be known for what they are, shills for secret government.
One of the odder things in the weeks before the election is the general agreement among our establishment, including the press, that the Baker-Hamilton findings shouldn’t be released now because they might have an effect on the election. What ever could the reason for that be. Are they afraid that the findings won’t reflect reality, don’t they trust these two stalwarts of the establishment to tell the truth and to so deceive the voters? If they don’t have any confidence in their material then that would certainly justify not publishing. If that’s it then how do they feel confidence in hinting at a release just after the election? If they have failed in collecting the information they should resign and announce their inability.
But that is certainly not their reason. Whatever these two release would be treated to the full measure of awed reverence that any product of the DC power structure is given. If it was pure bilge it would be treated that way and it is certain that whatever gets published will not be entirely devoid of facts. So it must be something else.
This reluctance to give The People information about the most important issue facing the country today so they can use it during the election is proof of something quite disturbing. It is a corrupt deal between the power elite and the media. It’s nothing less than a repudiation of government by the People. Baker saying that he wants "to take this thing out of politics" makes that clear. Politics is the process of self-government, it’s not some indecent act. Politics, ultimately, is the only justification for the public life of Baker and Hamilton, the only reason that anyone should pay attention to whatever this group of eminent people produce.
Our elites don’t believe that before they perform the most important act of government, casting an informed vote, The People are entitled to the best possible information. This is just another symptom of the fact that the elite doesn’t think the people have any business governing themselves. The facts of the War in Iraq are absolutely the kind of thing that a Voter should use in making up their mind.
If Baker and Hamilton are afraid that they will be criticized, too bad. This isn’t all about them. If they have reliable information about this war they have no right to keep it hidden until after The People could have used it. Jefferson was right, a government is only legitimate if it acts with the consent of the governed. An uninformed public cannot give legitimate consent, the government that results from ignorance cannot be legitimate, it will produce a disaster.
How dare these two hacks withhold any facts from the Voters. How dare the alleged news media endorse that decision. The media purports to exist for the purpose of informing the People so they can govern but here we see their real purpose, to shield the elite from information that could result in their replacement. Anyone calling themselves journalists who have supported this decision should be known for what they are, shills for secret government.
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More proof the media and the government are working hand in hand to keep the people from learning anything that might upset the status quo:
A while ago, a USDA employee
posted a terrorist threat in the comments here
(see comment 21):
The poster was identified as a USDA employee by
the owner of the site, who explains the process
he used to track them down here:
The USDA chose to track down the culprit
*internally*, and the employee is to be
"reprimanded" - see here:
The man who posted a threat against the NFL as part of a "challenge" is charged with a crime - a federal employee who posted a threat against the very sector they are supposed to protect is "reprimanded". Why is it our citizens are *charged* if we
do something like this, but *federal employees*
who do the same thing are only *reprimanded*?
I have repeatedly contacted major press organisations about this, and they have ignored it. Perhaps bloggers can get the word out before the election, so people will know the truth about "our" government.
I beg of you, check the links, then spread this to all the bloggers you know, so they can't shut us all up.
A while ago, a USDA employee
posted a terrorist threat in the comments here
(see comment 21):
The poster was identified as a USDA employee by
the owner of the site, who explains the process
he used to track them down here:
The USDA chose to track down the culprit
*internally*, and the employee is to be
"reprimanded" - see here:
The man who posted a threat against the NFL as part of a "challenge" is charged with a crime - a federal employee who posted a threat against the very sector they are supposed to protect is "reprimanded". Why is it our citizens are *charged* if we
do something like this, but *federal employees*
who do the same thing are only *reprimanded*?
I have repeatedly contacted major press organisations about this, and they have ignored it. Perhaps bloggers can get the word out before the election, so people will know the truth about "our" government.
I beg of you, check the links, then spread this to all the bloggers you know, so they can't shut us all up.
# posted by 
: 12:52 AM
: 12:52 AM
Speaking of keeping voters in the dark -- why is it that Dem. candidates do so as well?
One challenge we Dems. have is that, since we tend to be somewhat pragmatic, the voting records of Dem. candidates are easily distorted, given that so much of the voting public really has no clue as to the actual process of how laws and sausages are made. For whatever reasons, most people are content to treat the legislative process as a black box, which makes it all too easy for Republicans to demonize thoughtful Democratic legislative votes as "flip-flopping".
But why do Dems. do it to each other? In the FL gov. primary, each Dem. candidate was doing this to the other candidate in debates. It would have been so much better for the party if at least one of the candidates, instead of being mealy-mouthed about defending himself and then launching into an attack on the other candidate, would have said:
look -- we've both been legislators and you know as well as I how legislatures work: bills don't come down from the sky and we vote on them ... we have to write them, ammend them, revise them, etc. And in the course of a revision, bad bills do become good, but sometimes good bills go bad. And bills aren't always what they seem. If you have honest criticisms of my legislative record, it's important you tell the voters how you feel so they can decide. But let's stop with the unfair demonization of the kinds of votes that any good legislator, you or I or any number of other legislators, have to make. It's bad enough when the Republicans pull this sort of thing, e.g. as they did to John Kerry who's thoughtful votes on issues were distorted. But when we Dems. do it to each other, and contribute to misunderstandings of the legislative records of many fine legislators in the process as well as contributing to public ignorance about the legislative process, of which ignorance our common political opponants take full advantage, it is unconcionable.
We need to have at least candidates in our primaries take advantage of teaching moments and abate, rather than contribute to, the sorts of ignorance about our government of which the GOP takes full advantage.
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One challenge we Dems. have is that, since we tend to be somewhat pragmatic, the voting records of Dem. candidates are easily distorted, given that so much of the voting public really has no clue as to the actual process of how laws and sausages are made. For whatever reasons, most people are content to treat the legislative process as a black box, which makes it all too easy for Republicans to demonize thoughtful Democratic legislative votes as "flip-flopping".
But why do Dems. do it to each other? In the FL gov. primary, each Dem. candidate was doing this to the other candidate in debates. It would have been so much better for the party if at least one of the candidates, instead of being mealy-mouthed about defending himself and then launching into an attack on the other candidate, would have said:
look -- we've both been legislators and you know as well as I how legislatures work: bills don't come down from the sky and we vote on them ... we have to write them, ammend them, revise them, etc. And in the course of a revision, bad bills do become good, but sometimes good bills go bad. And bills aren't always what they seem. If you have honest criticisms of my legislative record, it's important you tell the voters how you feel so they can decide. But let's stop with the unfair demonization of the kinds of votes that any good legislator, you or I or any number of other legislators, have to make. It's bad enough when the Republicans pull this sort of thing, e.g. as they did to John Kerry who's thoughtful votes on issues were distorted. But when we Dems. do it to each other, and contribute to misunderstandings of the legislative records of many fine legislators in the process as well as contributing to public ignorance about the legislative process, of which ignorance our common political opponants take full advantage, it is unconcionable.
We need to have at least candidates in our primaries take advantage of teaching moments and abate, rather than contribute to, the sorts of ignorance about our government of which the GOP takes full advantage.
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