News Media Corruption: "Why America is the greatest country in the world..."‏ Lisbon You Are At A Similar Crossroads Currently, Will You Help Or Continue To Hope Someone Else Does?

The answer is kind of obvious to everyone who
lives practically anywhere else in the world, but 
it's still news to many Americans. 
 
A frank answer to:
 
"Why is America the greatest country in
the world?"
 
Warning: Harsh language. 
 
Video:
 
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/24353.html
 
- Brasscheck

From "Newsroom": Harsh language warning

Why America is the greatest country in the world...

 

An answer without the bullshit

This aired on HBO on a show called "Newsroom."

It's a testament to the US's dense and comprehensive propaganda system that you can watch US TV for tens of thousands of hours and never come across something so straightforward and accurate.

I don't know what the actual show is about.

If I have one critique of this: He's awfully nostalgic about a past that didn't quite happen the way he remembers it.

 Submitted by: Todd Comber

An answer without the bullshit
This aired on HBO on a show called "Newsroom."

It's a testament to the US's dense and comprehensive propaganda system that you can watch US TV for tens of thousands of hours and never come across something so straightforward and accurate.

I don't know what the actual show is about.

If I have one critique of this: He's awfully nostalgic about a past that didn't quite happen the way he remembers it.
- See more at: http://www.brasschecktv.com/videos/news-media-corruption-1/why-america-is-the-greatest-country-in-the-world.html#sthash.ej6fCVL4.dpuf

A Counterpoint; The Inappropriate Thesaurus: Response to Ken Huber and What Has America Become

Monday, October 25, 2010

Response to Ken Huber and What Has America Become

This leditor has been going around the right-wing email circuit, and I wanted to briefly address each of Mr. Huber's comments... (If this isn't big enough to read, you can see most of it in excerpt below.)

Ken Huber has some good points but his timeline seems to be confused...

"Has America become the land of special interest and home of the double standard?"

Yes, when we seceded from the union (with Britain)... We have been such ever since, regardless of who has been paying attention.

"Lets see, if we lie to the Congress, it's a felony and if the Congress lies to us its just politics."

Correct. This is because we don't require Congressmen to swear an oath every time they speak. Regular people lie all the time and it's not a felony. You're forgetting that Congressmen are just regular people going to work, and you seem to be under the impression that they were all completely truthful at one point..?

"If we dislike a black person, we're racist and if a black person dislikes whites, it's their 1st Amendment right."

Both of these things are racist and both of them are 1st amendment rights. There wouldn't be a constitution guaranteeing you the freedom to be a perfect person, this document would be unnecessary. BTW, if certain people give African Americans a pass for being racially ignorant, it's because the American double standard has shafted them historically harder than other groups, and perhaps they actually have a tiny reason to dislike us.

"The government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and they do almost nothing for the victims."

My imagination isn't potent enough to fathom what it's like to have my life so far into the gutter that robbing a liquor store seems like a good idea... The sad truth of the matter is that we don't all share the same morals, intelligence, work ethic, education, psychological health, etc. etc. But if one of our worst hypocrisies as a nation is that we attempt to turn criminals into decent people.... I guess this doesn't enrage me as much as it should.

"In public schools you can teach that homosexuality is OK, but you better not use the word God in the process."

But we teach that God is okay. In one form or another we all learned about the religious freedom of America, we're just not allowed to tell kids they have to believe in God anymore than we tell them they have to be homosexuals. How is this inconsistent?

"You can kill an unborn child, but it is wrong to execute a mass murderer."

I don't think mass murderers have as good of a reputation as you presume. Also, unborn children are generally thought more highly of than "it's okay to kill them". But the reason it's LEGAL to kill them is one of the unfortunate results of a complicated society filled with contrasting world-views. You've had this discussion I'm sure.

"We don't burn books in America, we now rewrite them."

This is a somewhat alarming complaint, and I'm hoping it's just the poetic linguistics of a traditional-minded fellow. If not, let me address it quickly. Knowledge is a constantly evolving thing. What makes a book written in 1999 more valid than a similar book written in 2010? Because it was here first? If the most effective form of chemotherapy has changed over the last ten years, should the texts on chemo not be updated? And the reason we don't burn the old volumes is because they may be useful for reference. When it comes to knowledge, less is not more.

"We got rid of communist and socialist threats by renaming them progressive."

The claim seems to be that language is being strategically used to affect attitudes. I can do that too. Progress is being slowed down by people renaming it the Socialist Threat. Congratulations, you're a politician.

"We are unable to close our border with Mexico, but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea."

I agree that we're spending too much money on foreign defense, although I think this one has something to do with your Communist Threat.

"If you protest against President Obama's policies you're a terrorist, but if you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy it was your 1st Amendment right."

Seriously? You got called a terrorist for peacefully protesting? That seems extreme.

"You can have pornography on TV or the internet, but you better not put a nativity scene in a public park during Christmas."

This is perfectly consistent: you can have a nativity scene at home and you can't have pornography in a public park. What's the argument here? And just a side note, there is such a thing as non-sexual pornography, and the idea of a living manger out-front the capitol building is probably certain peoples' little blue pill.

"We have eliminated all criminals in America, they are now called sick people."

Huh? I think this is more rhetorical gymnastics. If the core of this statement is that you don't like the empathy that is given to people who break the law, then I don't know what to tell ya. They still go to jail, and their lives are still probably more or less empty. If you're mad that they're still treated like human beings then I can't really help ya on this one.

"We can use a human fetus for medical research, but it is wrong to use an animal."

They're not live fetuses being used for research. Again, I can appreciate the anti-abortion sentiment, as I think many people can, but there's something not-so-sacred about incest-rape. Additionally, I don't think the average liberal American has a problem with using rats to cure cancer. Certain folks don't want animals mutated to test our style products. Don't confuse a vocal minority for a majority.

"We take money from those who work hard for it and give it to those who don't want to work"

Literally speaking, this is probably way less common than you'd expect. Do you think the average beneficiary of unemployment really WANTS to pad their resume with years of wellfare? Maybe some, but the bigger social issue here is that unexceptional people are having too many babies, creating large quantities of unexceptional citizens.

"We all support the Constitution, but only when it supports our political ideology."

Good point, this is also nothing new.

"We still have freedom of speech, but only if we are being politically correct."

False. Politically incorrect people still have freedom of speech, they just don't like having to deal with the non-legal consequences of their words. You can lose your job for something you say, but you're forgetting that a job is a privilege, not a constitutional right.

"Parenting has been replaced with Ritalin and video games."

Once again, too many unexceptional parents.

"The land of opportunity is now the land of hand outs."

Vote.

"The similarity between Hurricane Katrina and the gulf oil spill is that neither president did anything to help."

Fair enough.

And how do we handle a major crisis today? The government appoints a committee to determine who's at fault, then threatens them, passes a law, raises our taxes; tells us the problem is solved so they can get back to their reelection campaign.

Duh.

"What has happened to the land of the free and home of the brave?"

This is from a song. There are still brave people and free people living here. But the reason those lyrics are popular in song form instead of document form is because they're intended to get you emotive about a vague concept, rather than particular about specific concepts. To ask "What has happened to the land of the free and home of the brave?" is to ask a rhetorical question for the purpose of making a broad statement: "I don't like the way my country is behaving as of late". But the hypocrisies that you're dealing with here are remarkably consistent with the hypocrisies we've always had. The only difference LATELY is that your fellow voters have been disagreeing with you about the details. You're mad at your government but the folks you should really be mad at are the voters who have a different outlook than you.

What you're probably MOST upset about, is that non-religious people have different values than the faithful. You are unable to see religious dogma as subjective truth. And I don't blame you, because what use would religion be if it WAS seen as subjective? I don't know how to help you reconcile this, other than to tell you to keep on voting and hope for the best. Progress and entropy are more or less two sides to the same coin. One of these (entropy) is inevitable by definition. If that's the idiom you subscribe to, then we're already doomed. If you see social movement as progress, then this is NOT inevitable, and there's hope for you. Only problem becomes dealing with the reality that you're rooting against progress. You can look at the public moving away from religion, towards humanism and see it as entropy or progress. But you can't call it neither. Or, shouldn't.

My friend, you're a man without a nation, and this is going to sound odd and strangely anti-American to say, but if this stuff is really important to you, you're best bet is to join the Tea Party and start planning which mesoamerican states are going to be fenced off for the REAL America to begin. Only awkward thing is that you're going to lose the name America and the songs and flags... Can you reconcile fighting for your secession (which you WILL win, because if there's one thing your Tea Party friends will have, it's lots of guns--and if there's one thing godless neo-liberals don't have, it's willingness to fight and die for anything) when after the dust settles, you'll have your perfect set of small-government laws but a less traditional flag to wave, different songs to learn, and a whole new set of patriots to start idolizing? Boy it's gonna be wistfull, but at least things will be back to the way they.... (were?)

 http://dolphindentist.blogspot.com/2010/10/response-to-ken-huber-and-what-has.html

And The Question Still Remains Valid Today: What Has America Become? by Ken Huber

 Rene Girard, Examiner.com

"What Has America Become" was the title of a letter to the editior written by Ken Huber of Tawas City, Michigan.   It contains a series of comparisons and contrasts which causes one to think about the double-standards and conditions under which we now live here in America.  

A reprint of the article has been circulating online (see photo with this article) finding its way to Fort Worth and possibly all over the nation.  It was originally printed in the Iosco County News Herald on June 9, 2010, published in the Opinion column.  Please read, post your thoughts, and as always feel free to subscribe for future articles and/or
share with others.

 Where Is Tawas City, MI? It is on Lake Huron and has a population of just over 2,000!!

What has America become?
Editor,

Has America become the land of special interest and home of the double standard?

Lets see: if we lie to the Congress, it's a felony and if the Congress lies to us its just politics; if we dislike a black person, we're racist and if a black person dislikes whites, its their 1st Amendment right; the government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and they do almost nothing for the victims; in public schools you can teach that homosexuality is OK, but you better not use the word God in the process; you can kill an unborn child, but it is wrong to execute a mass murderer; we don't burn books in America, we now rewrite them; we got rid of communist and socialist threats by renaming them progressive; we are unable to close our border with Mexico, but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea; if you protest against President Obama's policies you're a terrorist, but if you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy it was your 1st Amendment right.

You can have pornography on TV or the internet, but you better not put a nativity scene in a public park during Christmas; we have eliminated all criminals in America, they are now called sick people; we can use a human fetus for medical research, but it is wrong to use an animal.

We take money from those who work hard for it and give it to those who don't want to work; we all support the Constitution, but only when it supports our political ideology; we still have freedom of speech, but only if we are being politically correct; parenting has been replaced with Ritalin and video games; the land of opportunity is now the land of hand outs; the similarity between Hurricane Katrina and the gulf oil spill is that neither president did anything to help.

And how do we handle a major crisis today? The government appoints a committee to determine who's at fault, then threatens them, passes a law, raises our taxes; tells us the problem is solved so they can get back to their reelection campaign.

What has happened to the land of the free and home of the brave?

- Ken Huber
Tawas City

(note:  all links added for articles related to topics within Mr. Huber's article.  His article had no links.)

WND EXCLUSIVE Court to feds: Explain Marine's Facebook-postings arrest

Hey Brooksie,  You Need To Pay Attention To This!!!

Judge refuses to dismiss law enforcement officers from false-detention lawsuit

A federal judge in Richmond, Va., has refused to dismiss from a lawsuit several FBI and Secret Service agents as well as local police officers who arrested a military veteran based on an opinion from a counselor who had never met him that he might be a danger.

The officers had confronted the veteran, Brandon Raub, after he expressed criticism of the U.S. government on a social networking page.

They arrested Raub and kept him in custody for an evaluation based on the long-distance opinion from Michael Campbell, a psychotherapist hired by the local county. But when the case came before a judge, his ruling found the concerns raised by the officers were “so devoid of any factual allegations that it could not be reasonably expected to give rise to a case or controversy.”

Raub then sued the officers for taking him into custody.
The latest ruling rejected a request by the officers to end the case.

“Brandon Raub’s case exposes the seedy underbelly of a governmental system that continues to target military veterans for expressing their discontent over America’s rapid transition to a police state,” said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute.

“While such targeting of veterans and dissidents is problematic enough, for any government official to suggest that they shouldn’t be held accountable for violating a citizen’s rights on the grounds that they were unaware of the Constitution’s prohibitions makes a mockery of our so-called system of representative government. Thankfully, Judge Hudson has recognized this imbalance and ensured that Brandon Raub will get his day in court,” he said.

The decision came from U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson, who essentially said there is not enough information at this point in the case to dismiss the law enforcement defendants. He ordered limited discovery.

The Rutherford Institute called the decision a victory for free speech and the right to be free from wrongful arrest.

Raub, a decorated Marine, had been taken into custody by “a swarm” of FBI, Secret Service agents and local police and forcibly detained in a psychiatric ward for a week because of controversial song lyrics and political views posted on his Facebook page, Rutherford reported.

Hudson said the Rutherford Institute, which is representing Raub, had alleged sufficient facts to indicate that the involuntary commitment violated his rights under the U.S. Constitution’s First and Fourth Amendments.

Institute attorneys had filed the civil rights lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Raub, alleging that his seizure and detention were the result of a federal government program code-named “Operation Vigilant Eagle” that involves the systematic surveillance of military veterans who express views critical of the government.

The complaint alleges that the attempt to label Raub as “mentally ill” and his subsequent involuntary commitment was a pretext designed to silence speech critical of the government.

It was Aug. 16, 2012, when Chesterfield police, Secret Service and FBI agents arrived at Raub’s home, asking to speak with him about his Facebook posts. Like many Facebook users, Raub, a Marine who has served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, uses his Facebook page to post song lyrics and air his political opinions.

Without providing any explanation, levying any charges against Raub or reading him his rights, law enforcement officials handcuffed Raub and transported him to police headquarters, then to John Randolph Medical Center, where he was held against his will.

The Institute reported in a hearing on Aug. 20, government officials pointed to Raub’s Facebook posts as the reason for his incarceration. While Raub stated that the Facebook posts were being read out of context, a special justice ordered Raub be held up to 30 more days for psychological evaluation and treatment.

But Circuit Court Judge Allan Sharrett ordered Raub’s immediate release a short time later, and the lawsuit was initiated.

 http://www.wnd.com/2013/08/court-to-feds-explain-marines-facebook-postings-arrest/

Re-posted in it's Entirety because we asked and have permission.

Duck & Cover Brooksie!!!

Submitted by: Todd Comber

NaturalNews: The miracle of beets, vitamin C, pumpkin seeds and more‏

Dear Lisbon Reporter and NaturalNews readers,

Beets are in the news yet again as a super enhancer to your athletic performance. They not only lower blood pressure; they also boost stamina!

Personally, I like to add 1/4th of a beet to any fruit smoothie. It boosts the nutrition and enhances the smoothie color, too.
Here's the latest research:
http://www.naturalnews.com/040773_athletic_performance_beet_juice_stamina.html

In case you missed it, the US Supreme Court actually ruled in favor of human rights for once: It struck down corporate patents on human genes, thereby preventing humanity from becoming enslaved by Big Pharma and biotech companies:
http://www.naturalnews.com/040760_Supreme_Court_gene_patents_Myriad_Genetics.html

Check out these 7 amazing uses for hemp. So why aren't America's farmers allowed to grow hemp even though we import it from other countries?
http://www.naturalnews.com/040771_hemp_legalization_industrial_uses.html

Southern Liberal Disguised as a Republican!

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham isn't sure if web bloggers have First Amendment protections. What's the deal with the government's war on journalism and free speech?
http://www.naturalnews.com/040772_bloggers_First_Amendment_freedom_of_the_press.html

Don't miss this expert who explains how vitamin C kills every known virus:
http://www.naturalnews.com/040770_vitamin_C_virus_Dr_Thomas_Levy.html

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Why is America so crazy? (Scott Ritter - The problem and the solution)

Almost 5 years ago this man gave this alarming but great speech and look at us today!

Lisbon
 
Some people aren't going to like
this. 
 
But until Americans confront their
core problem, they - and others - 
will continue to be victimized by
its "leaders."
 
There is a solution: 
 
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/383.html
 
- Brasscheck