THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA'S VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES

And my local drive through car wash's equipment with ultrasonic cleaning, made in Taiwan. Go figure.

Many conventional picture tubes for TV's and computers? Made in Canada and it's considered the best CRT on the market. Mitsubishi whom I worked from (and took advantage of the employee discount) used these tubes almost exclusively in the 80's and 90's.

Very interesting, I'd say ;-)

tantor hasn't come back to defend his logic of conservatives not demonstrating because they work but I have another argument about this:

Demonstrations are for opposition parties, in countries where the left rules the right demonstrates. You won't see many conservative demonstrations in the US because conservative isn't the opposition party.

I think Tantor has a point, although it is stated in such a fashion as to seem easily assailable.

When is the last time a bunch of Republicans went out into the street and protested something? Not in my lifetime.

Among the general differences in the GOP and the Dems is getting out and yelling in the street is a Dem method. It is not a GOP method. You can fill in the blank as to the reason why, but the fact remains.

Answer -- when they rushed the vote counters in Florida among other protests against the recount. Tantor has thrown up (sic) that little ditty before which gives the impression that only conservative Republicans work. I guess those who were at the Florida protests were taking vacation time?

Lash,

I'm not so sure that's a fact, I really don't know. I'd like confirmation of this.

Tantor's transparant attempt to disqualify protestors as not feeling passionate about the issues they are demonstrating against is a cheap shot in my opinion.

LW is right! We stood by the TV and were in awe that some Republicans actually did come out to protest the mess in FL. I remember saying, "Good God, the Republicans are out in the street!"

I was glad. It was about time.

Craven, since I've already been proven wrong (forgot FL), my assertion must be amended.

Only once have I witnessed Republicans demonstrating in the street. Since we can't prove a negative, I guess the onus is on the one who thinks they can prove THEY WERE protesting more than the time I mention.

Meanwhile, I will look for statistics, if they exist...

The point is that it was for a less than noble cause -- disrupting a vote count when it was already in the courts to decide. It's not like a demonstration where the prime objective is to save loosing unnecessary lives on a battlefield. Especially since the scars of Vietnam were still smarting. They took off work to rush down a hall at a door and frighten some innocent citizens who believe they were just doing their job. There is no rational excuse for it and nobody here can come up with it unless they were there amongst the protestors and knew firsthand what was going on. There was also some evidence that they were paid to protest and that was certainly left unanswered.

Anyway, to characterize protestors as a bunch of rabble who are not working (in fact, they are more likely playing hookey from work to march in something they feel extremely passionate about). The civil rights marches were not disproportionately populated by people off work -- it was written and documented that the majority of them took their vacation time to march.

To summarily characterize them and dismiss them as a bunch of bums could easily be interpreted as disingenuous and mean-spirited.

Let's return to the topic with this:

"The worldwide turmoil caused by President Bush's policies goes not exactly unreported, but entirely de-emphasised. Guardian writers are inundated by emails from Americans asking plaintively why their own papers never print what is in these columns (in my experience, these go hand-in-hand with an equal number insulting us for the same reason). In the American press, day after day, the White House controls the agenda. The supposedly liberal American press has become a dog that never bites, hardly barks but really loves rolling over and having its tummy tickled.

Indeed, there is hardly any such thing as the liberal press. Since Watergate, the Post has acquired a virtual monopoly over the Washington newspaper market, grown fat and - frankly - journalistically flabby. Its op-ed page is notable for its turgid prose, its conservative slant, and the apologetic tone of its more liberal contributors.

The rival page in the New York Times has far more spark, and - in the unfortunate absence of political opposition - has provided the only forum for serious national debate over the Iraq issue. But the Times' own editorials over Iraq, possibly reflecting internal tensions, have been uncertain. And the paper feels itself a little beleaguered, even marginalised, by the strategies employed by the Bush White House."

Guardian: Bushwhacked

I don't really buy the premise of that Guardian Article altogether, PDiddie. It does make some points, but I think it overgeneralizes. True, the bean counters run the papers, despite what the editors tell themselves. But there is considerable indepencence and aggressiveness in The White House Press Corp. They're not all swooning sycophants. Helen Thomas, for instance, is not considered a "Bulldog" for her looks alone.



timber

Helen Thomas is a national treasure.

Bob Woodward is a sellout, and a media whore of the first order.

Candy Crowley is in love with Dubya because he nicknamed her "Olive Oyl" on the campaign plane two years ago.

Where are the Dan Rathers, the Sam Donaldsons, and the Woodward and Bernsteins in today's press corps?

They're sucking up shiitake mushrooms and jalapeno poppers at the back of the room.

It's damned difficult to ask a question when your mouth is always full...

Here's a view of America's media from a group of journalists from Yugoslavia:

Blunt Words about a Soft Press

Helen Thomas is a slow-witted troll, who is jealous of Monica Lewinski, and keeps her job out of pity.

Now that's a bit over the top, Ms. Goth. Unnecessarily nasty for someone (I presume) you only know through the media.

On the contrary, Helen Thomas keeps a job out of both desire and competence. (You may not be aware that she changed jobs recently; she is now a columnist for Hearst newspapers. At the age of 82.)

Let's let her speak for herself:

"Great presidents have great goals for mankind. During my years of covering the White House, Kennedy was the most inspired; Johnson rammed through voting rights and public housing; Nixon will be remembered for his trip to China and for his resignation; Ford for helping us recover from Nixon; and Carter for making human rights the centerpiece of foreign policy," Thomas said in an even, respectful tone. She just sighed over Clinton, who "tarnished the Oval Office."

Now that doesn't sound like a person who wishes she was someone else to me...

"I have never covered a president who actually wanted to go to war. Bush's policy of pre-emptive war is immoral - such a policy would legitimize Pearl Harbor. It's as if they learned none of the lessons from Vietnam...Everybody (else) learned them, including the Pentagon. In Vietnam, correspondents could go anywhere - just hop on a helicopter and report on the war. Now we don't have that access. It's total secrecy. The media overlords should be complaining about this. I do not absolve the press. We've rolled over and played dead, too," she said.

And here's a quote on the topic:

"Where is the outrage?" she demanded. "Where is Congress? They're supine! Bush has held only six press conferences, the only forum in our society where a president can be questioned. I'm on the phone to [press secretary] Ari Fleischer every day, asking will he ever hold another one? The international world is wondering what happened to America's great heart and soul."

Now of course you disagree with some things Helen stands for; we all could have surmised that.

I'll request that you not be so disagreeably vile with your disagreement.

Well said, PDiddie. Of course, none of that addresses the fact Ms Thomas does look like a crotchety old bulldog.



timber

I'll take her on my side any day, timber.

And here's a picture of that bulldog smiling:

Helen Thomas

Everybody ignore that last outburst from Lash -- I am shocked by it's crassness but I'm going to sign off now and have a good dinner and try to think of excuses for it.

There is no need to state what everyone already knows, Craven. I make no apologies for being a forceful supporter of America, just as those people who hurled abuse on me when I was in uniform in public in the 1970s made no apologies.

Tantor