I’m not a big fan of fringe blowhards on either side but I have to say it would be a “get your popcorn” moment to see a liberal torture Sean Hannity.

CIA Drones Use Pakistan as Base

Israeli Government Takes a Right Turn

Obama Makes First Move in Afghanistan

Pakistan Government Retreats In the Midst of Taliban Gains

Small Steps in Iraq

The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act Is Going Through the House

Nazis? Nein Danke

Sake Please

Can we safely say Fox News is a tool of the Israeli government? If you watch the “fair and balanced” channel for even a half hour of their Gaza coverage you will see such unashamed bias that the most ardent neutral observer would be left shaking their head. Every single Israeli guest is allowed to state their position without retort but the Palestinian guests are questioned critically and even talked over.

This is what ails America’s current foreign policy in the region. I am all for criticizing both sides but lets do it without taking sides. We know Hamas has no right to lob rockets at civilians in Israel. But we also know Israel has no right to build settlements in the West Bank. Israel’s bullying tactics toward their Palestinian neighbors prior to the Gaza incursion and their efforts to keep the moderate Palestinian government fractured has led them to the current situation. Hamas has become more legitimate among Palestinians because Israel continues policies that drives their stateless Arab neighbors toward radicalism. It is time we have an American position in the conflict that favors neither side.

CNN is doing an excellent job in covering the crisis. They switch between their reporters and also talk with English speaking residents both Arab and Israeli.

One last point. If you wish to have a counter to Fox News you can now watch Al Jazeera English live for free. The internet is a wonderful thing.  http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/

Fox News Bias is evident in the two clips:

No one who is employed watches the main-stream media (MSM) more than I do. I often have it running as background noise while I eat, read, surf the net and even sleep. There is a great redundancy to the reporting. It really doesn’t matter where you obtain your news. Whether it is MSNBC at the left of the spectrum, CNN at center left or FOX on the right; when a fire engulfs a building in New York City there is a rhythm in which all three cut into the story, like a trio of dancing couples entering a vacant dance floor. On election coverage the rhythm of story repetition can be as rapid as a West Indies soca song. During lulls in the media wars there will be those stories of fair haired damsels brutally slain, or missing toddlers in remote locals and a suspected make and model of car for which to be on the lookout. But is there really a down cycle? My contention is the MSM has failed us. The stories Americans should be focused on receive only glancing blows unless there is carnage involved. When was the last time you heard a really in depth story about the war in Iraq?  I am talking about one where there are multiple reporters on the ground highlighting all the nuances of the conflict; interviews with sergeants, the facts about the demise of Al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI), the current strategy for victory and the assessment of progress. Al-Anbar is much safer now. Where are the reporters covering that story? It seems if the US is spending upwards of $1 trillion there, shouldn’t it be a priority of the media and America in general to care? And of course there is the forgotten war in Afghanistan; the staging ground for Bin Laden and his gang. With nations waffling on their commitment there, the forces engaged are insufficient. But we would not know that from our news. The internet is a great outlet for information about the conflicts but most Americans don’t have the time or desire to seek out such stories. Instead we endure an endless cycle of stories about why Obama’s campaign called Hillary a monster or why McCain lost his temper about a 2004 collaboration attempt by John Kerry or even worse why a pretty girl at UNC was slain. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not callous to the sorrow involved in the case but last I heard over 4000 Americans and countless Iraqis have died in Iraq and 3000 Americans are attempting to be avenged in Afghanistan. When a story of one person’s death gets twenty times more coverage than those that matter to all of us, the MSM has failed us.