Open Thread

The Weekly Watch

Submitted by Lookout on Sun, 09/15/2024 - 6:53am

The Political Kabuki Theater

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Another busy week in the news cycle. It was the debate which prompted this week's theme. Almost all the commentary I heard about the variety of stories we'll look at today mention the theatrical aspects of what is presented to the people. Censor what the TPTB don't want you to hear, and promote the propaganda with theatrical stories to reinforce the narrative....you know Ukraine is winning, Hamas raped Israelis, Putin plans to conquer the EU, and China's economy is in collapse, as a few examples. Let's start with a great example as Thomas Massie explains the congressional economic policy play.

Album of the Week 9-14-24

Submitted by joe shikspack on Sat, 09/14/2024 - 3:00pm

Afternoon folks!

This is another good week for the blues. Starting off we've got a late 70's Muddy Waters album, followed by a collection of Chicago blues acts (Carey Bell, Magic Slim & The Teardrops and Johnny "Big Moose" Walker) and finishing off with a compilation of LaVern Baker singles. After that, it's blues rock time with a greatest hits comp from Wet Willie, a later 70's Climax Blues Band album, an Elvin Bishop album and a Pretty Things album. We finish off in the diversity department with a hard to pigeonhole stylistically, but nonetheless interesting album from Don Nix.

Enjoy the tunes and have a great weekend!

Open Thread - Thurs 12 Sep 2024 - What is this?

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/12/2024 - 5:12am

What is This?

The title of this oped, 'The NYT publisher just wrote the most insulting editorial ever printed — inside the pages of the WaPo ', intrigued me, even though it was on Alternet. After reading the opinion piece, I don't really agree with everything the writer, D. Earl Stephens, is saying, even though it's true that the media often ignores Donald Trump's grossness, crimes, and so on. I do agree that the current media world is driven by money and only money: as the Stephens says,

Money is the impetus that drives too much of what we are being forced to consume in today’s polluted media landscape, and the American public is suffering mightily because of that.

But this problem isn't only about Trump or the right wing. Does the media really ignore Donald Trump? I mean, I don't think Donald Trump would be what he is without the non-stop incessant blathering of the media, blathering that has happened for years and years. That blathering may often ignore the failures of Trump, his crimes, his grossness. Although, I dunno, it seems like two out of three articles on, say, Alternet, are about Donald Trump. Isn't that giving him attention and fame even if it's negative? I mean, Trump was a close friend of the Clintons, once, right? Why not pay attention to that? And he was not always Republican https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Donald_Trump right (he's changed his party affliation 5 times)? And he supported abortion once (or twice, or whatever), https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/09/politics/trump-abortion-stances-timeline/... right?

And that's enough about Trump for me! Smile Whatcha think about Stephen's opinion piece? Ohh, and I want to note that the coverage of Harris is just as nonsensical and stupid. This whole election is a farce.

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