Saturday, July 6, 2013

Contrary to Popular Opinion

Heroism is never in fashion. Villainy often is, however.

News media false balance, 1961-style.
Both the violent, lynch-happy racists and the people who demanded the right to sit at lunch counters, use the restroom and vote were equally at fault, according to the news media.
"A handful of reporters and photographers from the black press and one freelance writer affiliated with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) accompanied the Riders on the buses during CORE's original May 4 Freedom Ride. Other than these journalists, initial news coverage of the Rides was mixed or strongly negative.Early news accounts criticized 'extremists on both sides,' equating civil rights activists with their segregationist opposition. Other editorials characterized the Freedom Riders as 'outside agitators,' meddling in communities to which they did not belong — although many of the African-American Riders had been raised in the South."
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4 comments:

  1. Sandy_ClawsJuly 7, 2013 at 8:40 AM

    As a fan of your site I usually agree with you. But I'm getting the impression that you are comparing Snowden to the freedom riders here. I hope that's not the case.
    Treason has never been heroic or patriotic. The freedom riders never put our national security in jeopardy.
    Snowden is no hero.

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    Replies
    1. Dan HagenJuly 7, 2013 at 12:58 PM

      We don't know whether he's a hero or not yet, and that's not the point. The point is that the U.S. in on the verge of becoming a universal surveillance police state. Cheney and Bush created the 21st century American police state, and Obama made it permanent by quietly signing off on it. Whether you're comfortable with it or not, there's the truth history will report.

      Delete
  2. Sandy_ClawsJuly 8, 2013 at 5:38 PM

    Whether I'm comfortable with it or not isn't the point either. It's just the way things are now. With the ever advancing technology we live with everyday, it's gets easier every year for the government to spy on people. And not just the US government. This stuff has been going on for years. Do you think if the US government came out tomorrow and said, 'they would stop it all right now', they actually would? Never!
    You can't get this genie back in the bottle, Dan.
    If treason was wrong when Reagan and Cheney did it, it's wrong when Snowden does it too. The only difference is Snowden doesn't have a fall guy.

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    Replies
    1. Dan HagenJuly 8, 2013 at 6:38 PM

      If you think Snowden's bullshit "treason" is the problem here, then you haven't fully appreciated the fact that he was one of how many thousands of shadowy corporate mercenaries who now have full access to the secrets of citizens and the government, and finally no loyalty to anything but a buck.

      Delete

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