2012 was a record-breaking year for propaganda and outright lies - all of it green-lighted by the Villager media whores. Low information voters can be excused for being confused about the situation, thanks to Romney's campaign of lies. We were lucky to escape the year with our democracy still breathing, just barely. Currently, we sit in a bubble of calm. Post-election, post-fiscal curb, pre-debt-ceiling.
This unnatural calm is partly due to the complete failure of all the GOP propaganda themes, partly due to polls showing the GOP losing ground faster than ever. But, the GOP can always count on the corporate media for distraction and evasion as soon as anything needs to happen.
So, before the media tries to dump us into the next phony, lying election cycle or manufactured fiscal crisis, can we simply acknowledge where the real world is? As opposed to wailing against the BS world brought to us by our corporate media.
Can we just have a minute of truth here before the lie machine starts up again?
TRUTH #1: None of the major issues majorities of Americans voted for in 2008 have been resolved as voters wanted. (You know, like in a democracy.)
A. Prosecute Wall St. - NO. No one prosecuted. AG Holder spent more time fighting Medical Marijuana than he did prosecuting the financial pirates. Last month, AIG had the balls to threaten to sue the government. It took Elizabeth Warren to settle their hash. But, the media? They were hardly screaming for the head of AIG.
As for prosecutions for fraudulent mortgages and other nakedly criminal behavior? Nada, zip, zilch. Oh, unless you count the slap-on-the-wrist fine HSBC got for laundering drug money. Medical MJ, bad. Drug money laundering, meh.
B. Reduce the defense budget - NO. It has gone up and up. We still spend more than the rest of the world combined. We spend more than when Obama took office. The Pentagon cannot account for trillions of dollars, but no problem. We are building massive internet-hoovering data center in Utah to "fight terrorism" - yeah, if your definition of terrorism is anything an American does that our corporate overlords don't like.
C. Tax the rich - One had gives, the other takes away. Yes, we finally increased the marginal tax rate above $400k; but we also lowered the estate tax. Net, net, the middle class lost ground. Hedge fund managers continue to pay less than workers.
TRUTH #2: Climate change is out of control; and the US hasn't done squat.
Yes, I know it was mentioned in the inaugural speech. (wow.) But it wasn't mentioned in any campaign debate. The US did nothing but obstruct in the latest climate talks. We continue to promote fracking, and the media continues to ignore the pollution, earthquakes, and unsustainable diversion of water in a drought caused by this environment-wrecking technology.
TRUTH #3: There are more people alive than the planet can sustain.
Overpopulation is stripping the planet bare. Fisheries destroyed by over-fishing. Land desertified by bringing marginal lands into agricultural production (ala the Dust Bowl). Overpopulation also contributes to climate change by its demand for more resources than the planet can provide.
TRUTH #4: The War on Women is increasing
If they are going to ignore overpopulation, its hardly surprising that the media cannot connect the dots that fundamentalist forced-birtherism will make things worse. Not to mention the fact that it reduces women to child-bearing chattel. Not to mention the ludicrous assertion that corporations can have religious beliefs.
But this is all part of the media war on common sense and American history.
TRUTH #5: Neoliberalism is the most powerful machinery for looting ever invented.
Despite the fact that Social Security is self-funding and we have been over-paying into it to cover the baby boomers since 1985, somehow it is Social Security that will be cut, Social Security that is the problem - according to the neoliberal ideologues to whom the corporate media gives the vast majority of face-time.
Despite the fact that "austerity" has failed every single time it has been tried (Pinochet's Chile, Greece, Ireland, the UK), austerity is the corporate media's "go to" meme for solving our problems. Of course, austerity is the neoliberal prescription for whatever ails an economy. Like "a course of leeches" was the quack prescription for any ailment in the Middle Ages.
Despite the fact that neoliberal economists have been wrong over and over, not only does the corporate media cover their asses; it doesn't even let the masses know that neoliberalism is but one brand (and a failed one at that) of economics. It never talks about Keynesianism, except to slam it as some kind of free lunch.
TRUTH #6: We spend most of our money on military, police, and prisons.
As mentioned above, the Pentagon budget (and the black ops budget, and the intelligence budget, and the VA budget) continue to grow, while we cut back on vital social services and infrastructure investment. Even the US military has said that the excessive military spending is not in the national interest, but what do they know?
The War on Drugs is an abject failure, disavowed by half the nations in Latin America. We have more people in jail for marijuana possession than for real crimes. State after state votes for legalization. Yet we continue to push this failed policy; and the corporate media continues to shill for it.
We have more prisoners, by absolute numbers and percentage, than any other country in the world. And, we continue to privatize this cruel, unfair system for the profit of amoral crooks.
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So, at least I have mentioned some truths that the corporate propaganda machine would rather not have spoken. But, in the end, unless we get rid of the corporate media, ignore it, defund it, somehow make it powerless, we are doomed as a democracy.
The corporate media brazenly lies about obvious truths. The corporate media is nakedly pro-neoliberal. The corporate media pretends that fundamentalist power grabs are debatable issues of religious freedom. The corporate media never met a war or a tough cop it didn't love. The corporate media actively dumbs down the population, reducing complex issues to simple-minded and false black-and-white dichotomies.
If, after 2012, we cannot generate an alternative to the corporate media, it is over. Because they will just ramp up the lying, the disinformation, the cheerleading for failed, doomed, and criminal policies.
That's all I've got. I know its not enough.