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  #21  
Old 05-20-2009, 08:06 AM
cabinover cabinover is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OvenMaster View Post

Of course, another alternative? A complete BAN on political parties. All members of Congress would be independent, and would simply represent the wishes of the majority of their district's constituents. Instead of a Representative of the House representing Big Government to the people, the tables would be turned, and the Representative would be the voice of the voters in Congress.

Well, I can dream.

The problem I see with that, and I think our current system is broken as well, is disseminating information to the masses.

Winston Churchill wisely said, "The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter."

I know personally that I don't have time to watch, nor the capacity to absorb and understand, everything that politicians do. I can't even keep up with my local dirtbags and their shennanigans on a semi-weekly basis.

My life, like many others today, is busy trying to stay on top of bills with the hopes of someday being able to relax. Just surviving now takes two people working full time as you know. Who even has time to read the newspaper anymore?

What I'm saying is there is no informed public anymore. Want proof? Hit Youtube and find Howard Stearn's guy questioning folks in Harlem about the upcoming election. People were fine with Obama's VP, SARAH PALIN! Duhh..
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  #22  
Old 05-20-2009, 09:22 AM
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merrylander merrylander is offline
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Jefferson spoke well about the need for a free press and it would be nice to have but I am not holding my breath. Today's networks, or rather their owners, all seem to have a political bias.

Watching the news you get to know more of what some hollywood starlet has been up to or some other meaningless trivia. It has been said that democracy requires a well informed electorate, but if they allow all media to fall into the hands of the Rupert Murdochs of this world that is not going to happen.
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  #23  
Old 05-20-2009, 09:44 AM
noonereal noonereal is offline
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We no longer have news. We have right and left wing propaganda that purposely withholds info to slant stories. Our politicians as we know do this as well. I believe this is a serious situation as we are left to make decisions more on our preconceived beliefs than on facts.

I'd like to see some kind of law enacted that made it illegal for a politician to lie during a campaign. Millions of votes are swayed on outright lies.
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  #24  
Old 05-20-2009, 06:39 PM
Charles Charles is offline
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Free press

Merrylander and Noonereal are correct, the press, and especially the teevee news, is nothing but propaganda, IMHO. Unfortunately, it has been like this for a long time.

Were he alive today, there is no doubt in my mind that Joesph Gobbels would have considered the teevee as the greatest device since the oven. I tend to suspect that although Herr Gobbels is no longer with us, they're plenty of Gobbels wannabees running loose.

I've come to the point that I'm really disgusted with the television. The news is nothing but maniptulation, and the rest isn't much better. I used to enjoy the History Channel. Then it became the Revising History Channel. Now it's the Speculating on History Channel. May as well just call it the Bullshit Channel.

I don't give a rats ass about a bunch of loggers seeing just how fast they can cut down trees without killing themselves. Or a bunch of guys driving trucks across a frozen lake. I don't want to hear that our founding fathers should have been on Prozac. And I sure as hell don't care what happens to the earth once all of the people are dead. As a self centered person, does it really matter what happens once we're all dead? I figure everything will be just fine, and the critters that survive won't have to keep an eye on us.

Can't stand reality shows (reality????), the new movies by and large stink (gotta have a PC message), and they keep showing the same old movies over and over again.

But my wife insists that we have a stooge box, with all of the channels, even though she never watches it.

The powers that be are working hard at keeping the general population as dumb as a stump. And I'll give them credit, they're doing a fine job.

Chas
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  #25  
Old 05-20-2009, 07:07 PM
Sandy G Sandy G is offline
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Effin' A, Charles ! The Hysterical Channel lost me more or less when they quit having stuff on planes on it...Or cars. Why can't we have something on the automobile ? Also, I get pretty fed up w/the inane, whooshy, "Matrix" style graphics a lot of the shows seem to have nowadays..Oh, yeah, I lusted mightily for a modern version of both "Twilight Zone" & "Outer Limits"...Imagine my dismay when they finally granted my wish, that they BOTH were by & large PC-crapola. A kindly, caring woman who's wise & wonderful & In Touch W/Her Feelings is the leader of a bunch of survivors of a crashed spaceship...Aww, Bullshyte ! That's NOT what either one of them shows were about...They were about 1st rate storytelling, first & foremost, & having the CRAP scared outta you by some blood-blanching, fulgurating monster, second. If I wanna get preached at by a bunch of kindly, caring women who are wise & wonderful & in touch w/their feelings, I'll watch Oprah...Can the PC-bullshyte, 'n' bring on the "Bears" !! (As Joe Stefano called 'em)
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  #26  
Old 05-20-2009, 07:15 PM
noonereal noonereal is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles View Post

I don't give a rats ass about a bunch of loggers seeing just how fast they can cut down trees without killing themselves. Or a bunch of guys driving trucks across a frozen lake. I don't want to hear that our founding fathers should have been on Prozac. And I sure as hell don't care what happens to the earth once all of the people are dead. As a self centered person, does it really matter what happens once we're all dead? I figure everything will be just fine, and the critters that survive won't have to keep an eye on us.



Chas

I agree x100. There are a few channels that have serious material like the Science channel. In my area they are only available with the top tier service.
So I get about 50 movie channels to get a handful (about 4) serious channels.
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  #27  
Old 05-20-2009, 09:38 PM
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Ozmoid Ozmoid is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by noonereal View Post
...they are only available with the top tier service..
Because they are way down the list for "most watched", they cost the company more to carry... so even fewer folks get exposed.
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"Ecpyrosis" will not be found in most dictionaries, but it is a philosophical term of the stoics, from the greek "ekpyrosis", and it means: "conflagration; the periodic resolution of all things into fire".
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  #28  
Old 05-21-2009, 05:51 AM
Sandy G Sandy G is offline
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Don't EVEN get me started on cable companies...We have Charter here, in my "basic" service, I'm forced to have 3 shopping channels, & 5 or 6 "Religious" channels, which are little more than some fat crook rolling his eyes, screaming "GEEEEEE-ZUS !!" every once in awhile, & then shilling for "contributions" for 25 minutes..When I REALLY get to be the Benevolent Despot, TV evangelists are the 1st bunch I'm gonna "Terminate With Extreme Prejudice"....(grin)
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  #29  
Old 05-21-2009, 07:09 AM
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Ozmoid Ozmoid is offline
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Sandy, in general the channel line-up for your "basic" service are simply the cheapest ones for the cable company to carry.
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"Ecpyrosis" will not be found in most dictionaries, but it is a philosophical term of the stoics, from the greek "ekpyrosis", and it means: "conflagration; the periodic resolution of all things into fire".
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  #30  
Old 05-21-2009, 07:13 AM
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merrylander merrylander is offline
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Verizon is getting ready to run their FIOS down our street so they had Miss Utility running around painting the grass. What she did not do is mark out the Comcast cable runs nor the 4800 volt lines that run under the ditch out front.

The Comcast chap who was here replacing a box told me they are digging up their cable all over the place. I asked how deep do they go and he said about 4 feet, gonna be some nice fireworks when they hit that 4800 volt line.

They called about a week ago and asked me if I was interested in FIOS, told the youngster that I would be more interested if they could make my phone work properly. We get noise on the line, called April 4 to complain, got a April 21 appointment for them to look into it. One month later we are still waiting for the repairman.
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