Idiot America: Book Review

   Before even reading a book with such a title, many would already claim to feel as though they are surrounded by idiots.

   Having said that, Charle's P. Pierce's book helps to explain why this country has fallen to such a stupendous low when it comes to intellect, religious & scientific views and, of course, politics.  It delves into the lameness of most people's 'reasoning' for what they believe, why they believe it, and how they vote.

   Pierce even takes a brief moment to give reality TV shows (and the unrealistic drama '24') the mockery that they deserve. 

   I mean, what have we come to when a Supreme Court Justice (Anthony Scalia) cites '24' as a reason to support torture?  How did we appoint someone to such a high court who asks, while deciding landmark cases, WWJD, What Would Jack Bauer Do?

-Side note, how ridiculous was it when politicians and news pundits were saying that Jack Bauer would have found the terrorist behind the failed Times Square bombing in, get this, 24 hours... not the 50 some odd hours it took REAL PEOPLE.  What kind of blurry fake world do they live in.  It would be one thing if they were kidding.-

   Jack Bauer nonsense aside, Pierce shows how much of America votes from, what he calls "The Gut."  Which is to say that it doesn't matter what the facts are, just what sells and what is convenient or makes us feel comfortable.

He also introduces The Three Great Premises to show how people buy into crap that is just that, crap:

"Since (right-wing) populism has at its heart an "anti-elitist" distrust of expertise, talk radio offers the purest example of the Three Great Premises at work.

A host is not judged a success by his command of the issues, but purely by whether what he says moves the ratings needle.

*First Great Premise: Any theory is valid if it moves units.

-If the needle moves enough, then the host is adjudged an expert.

*Second Great Premise: Anything can be true if someone says it loudly enough

And if the host seems to argue passionately enough, then what he is saying is judged to be true simply because of how many people are listening to him say it.

*Third Great Premise: Fact is that which enough people believe. Truth is measured by how fervently they believe it."

- Charles P. Pierce,Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free

    I will leave it at this:  It's a great book filed with various topics from Terri Schiavo to 9/11, global warming to the Iraq War, and elections down to creationism... to name a few.





   

 

Where's the Outrage Now?!?!

A Bomb threat in Vermont and Revolt Threats in California

FOX news has made it a point to only give homosexuals negative coverage. They have an agenda on this issue. Plain and simple.

Seriously, check this out...

Just one day after Vermont State Senator John Campbell declared that he would present a pro-same-sex marriage bill in an attempt to grant equal rights to homosexuals, he has already received a very serious threat.

The Senator received a phone call at the state government building from a woman who ominously threatened to blow up his house.

Where is FOXnews on this one!?!

FOX's online headlines and television pundits did not hesitate to report the "violence" that took place during the incredibly peaceful same-sex civil rights rallies that took place across the entire nation.

This "violence" they reported on equated to one woman walking into the middle of a big, but peaceful, protest with a rather large styrofoam cross. She entered the crowd by herself and started preaching to them carrying her cross.

The violence?

Someone took her fake cross from her hands and stepped on it on the ground. They did not harm a hair on her body. And anyone who has ever been to a protest KNOWS that this was a tame response considering her actions and her decision to walk alone into the middle of the crowd.

The other story Fox covered: A radical group called "Bash Back," which has no connection to the mainstream equal rights movement's methods or mentality, entered a church during mass with banners and fliers. Some of them kissed right in front of the priest.

So apparently those things were newsworthy to FOX, but not a bomb threat against a Senator.

OH AND GUESS WHAT ELSE THEY AREN'T REPORTING?!?!

Randy Thomasson, who is president of the Campaign for Children and Families has essentially threatened the California Supreme court because it is hearing 3 cases in regard to Proposition 8 and will, most likely, declare same-sex marriage bans to be unconstitutional.

(As they already had because they understand constitutional law, unlike the vast majority of the general public)

Thomasson stated that the California Supreme Court is, “playing with fire by threatening to destroy the people’s vote on marriage.” And that “if the court disobeys the constitution by voiding Prop. 8, it will ignite a voter revolt.”

Incase anyone was wondering, here's what the court said when it legalized same-sex marriages in California:

The right to marry is among a set of basic human rights “so integral to an individual’s liberty and personal autonomy that they may not be eliminated or abrogated by the legislature or by the electorate through the statutory initiative process.”

So....

A) FOX decided to not have any coverage of the gay rights protests that took place from Anchorage, Alaska, to Boston, Massachusetts on the day they happened. Not a peep.

B) I predicted that they wouldn't cover the rallies unless they could portray homosexuals in a negative way

C) I was correct

D) They are not covering this much larger story of a BOMB THREAT AGAINST VERMONT SENATOR JOHN CAMPBELL.

Conclusion: FOX News has an anti-homosexual agenda.

Thanks Rupert Murdoch!

Prime Example: MSNBC Left, FOX Right

If you wanted more proof to add to my opinion that no news source is unbiased, look at these two electoral college maps for McCain and Obama:

MSNBC's (click on "Maps & Info" at the top)
(Obama 264, to McCain 163)

FOX's (should open right away)
(McCain 189 to Obama 183)


MSNBC's gives Obama the benefit of the doubt on several states, but none to McCain what-so-ever.

FOX shows McCain currently ahead by 6 electoral votes right now and doesn't account for any polling that shows Obama clearly ahead in several states.

My Guess as to what it really will be after November 4th: 277-254 Barack Obama