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Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1800
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 30, 2006 - 11:13 am: | 
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Weekend Edition
January 28 / 29, 2006
Polls Show Many Americans are Simply Dumber Than Bush
Blind Ignorance
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
Two recent polls, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll and a New York Times/CBS News poll, indicate why Bush is getting away with impeachable offenses. Half of the US population is incapable of acquiring, processing and understanding information.
Much of the problem is the media itself, which serves as a disinformation agency for the Bush administration. Fox "News" and right-wing talk radio are the worst, but with propagandistic outlets setting the standard for truth and patriotism, all of the media is affected to some degree.
Despite the media's failure, about half the population has managed to discern that the US invasion of Iraq has not made them safer and that the Bush administration's assault on civil liberties is not a necessary component of the war on terror. The problem, thus, lies with the absence of due diligence on the part of the other half of the population.
Consider the New York Times/CBS poll. Sixty-four percent of the respondents have concerns about losing civil liberties as a result of anti-terrorism measures put in place by President Bush. Yet, 53
percent approve of spying without obtaining court warrants "in order to reduce the threat of terrorism."
Why does any American think that spying without a warrant has any more effect in reducing the threat of terrorism than spying with a warrant? The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which Bush is disobeying, requires the executive to obtain from a secret panel of federal judges a warrant for spying on Americans. The purpose of the law is to prevent a president from spying for partisan political reasons. The law permits the president to spy first (for 72 hours) and then come to the court for permission. As the court meets in secret, spying without a warrant is no more effective in reducing the threat of terrorism than spying with a warrant.
Instead of explaining this basic truth, the media has played along with the Bush administration and formulated the question as a trade-off between civil liberties and protection from terrorists. This formulation is false and nonsensical. Why does the media enable the Bush administration to escape accountability for illegal behavior by putting false and misleading choices before the people?
The LA Times/Bloomberg poll has equally striking anomalies. Only 43 percent said they approved of Bush's performance as president. But a majority believe Bush's policies have made the US more secure.
It is extraordinary that anyone would think Americans are safer as a result of Bush invading two Muslim countries and constantly threatening two more with military attack. The invasions and threats have caused a dramatic swing in Muslim sentiment away from the US.
Prior to Bush's invasion of Iraq, a large majority of Muslims had a favorable opinion of America. Now only about 5 percent do.
A number of US commanders in Iraq and many Middle East experts have told the American public that the three year-old war in Iraq is serving both to recruit and to train terrorists for al Qaeda, which has grown many times its former size. Moreover, the US military has concluded that al Qaeda has succeeded in having its members elected to the new Iraqi government.
We have seen similar developments both in Egypt and in Pakistan. In the recent Egyptian elections, the radical Muslim Brotherhood, despite being suppressed by the Egyptian government, won a large number of seats. In Pakistan elements friendly or neutral toward al Qaeda control about half of the government. In Iraq, Bush's invasion has replaced secular Sunnis with Islamist Shia allied with Iran.
And now with the triumph of Hamas in the Palestinian election, we see the total failure of Bush's Middle Eastern policy. Bush has succeeded in displacing secular moderates from Middle Eastern governments and replacing them with Islamic extremists. It boggles the mind that this disastrous result makes Americans feel safer!
What does it say for democracy that half of the American population is unable to draw a rational conclusion from unambiguous facts?
Americans share this disability with the Bush administration.
According to news reports, the Bush administration is stunned by the election victory of the radical Islamist Hamas Party, which swept the US-financed Fatah Party from office. Why is the Bush administration astonished?
The Bush administration is astonished because it stupidly believes that hundreds of millions of Muslims should be grateful that the US has interfered in their internal affairs for 60 years, setting up colonies and puppet rulers to suppress their aspirations and to achieve, instead, purposes of the US government.
Americans need desperately to understand that 95 percent of all Muslim terrorists in the world were created in the past three years by Bush's invasion of Iraq.
Americans need desperately to comprehend that if Bush attacks Iran and Syria, as he intends, terrorism will explode, and American civil liberties will disappear into a thirty year war that will bankrupt the United States.
The total lack of rationality and competence in the White House and the inability of half of the US population to acquire and understand information are far larger threats to Americans than terrorism.
America has become a rogue nation, flying blind, guided only by ignorance and hubris. A terrible catastrophe awaits.
Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review. He is coauthor of The Tyranny of Good Intentions.He can be reached at: paulcraigroberts@yahoo.com
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Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 4076
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 30, 2006 - 11:54 am: |
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Chris,
What's ironic about this article is that it helps to EMPOWER Bush. Because the more you have Roberts and his ilk calling foks dumb, the MORE they side up with Bush.
Hell. At least 1/2 the nation reflexively pisses on ANYTHING reported by CBS, the New York Times, LA Times, etc. to begin with. And that was PRIOR to the Judith Miller and Jason Blairs of the world discredited the media.
And Reagan effectively trained Americans to be suspicious of elites - AKA foks who can read and write above the six-grade level. Bush & Co. are working this like a mofo.
Lastly, there appears to have been NO terrorist attack in America since 911. And THAT, more than any other reason, is WHY foks are backing Bush, regardless of his lies about the Iraq War, domestic spying, outting CIA agents, lies, improprieties, etc. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1803
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 30, 2006 - 11:59 am: |
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The people back him because they are stupid.
We must understand that the average American is only fit to be lied to, tricked and manipulated. |
Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 4078
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 30, 2006 - 12:04 pm: |
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Chris,
And as long as his opponents boldly assert that, Bush and his kind will retain power. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3618
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 30, 2006 - 12:45 pm: |
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My, my, is this the same chrishayden who tried to discredit my remarks about all the things the American public will go along with because of how gullible they are? The same chrishayden who said that the majority of people are in favor of the right-to-choose when it comes to abortion when, in fact, the country is very evenly split on this issue? Just another example of how chrishayden thinks nothing has any credibilty unless he endorses it, the same chrishayden who rarely has an original thought. |
Enchanted
Veteran Poster
Username: Enchanted
Post Number: 51
Registered: 11-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 30, 2006 - 12:47 pm: |
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It's him Cynique. Let him have it!!! Laughing to the roof and waiting for further good laughs on this one!
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Mrs_hart
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Mrs_hart
Post Number: 267
Registered: 01-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 30, 2006 - 09:55 pm: |
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"Much of the problem is the media itself, which serves as a disinformation agency for the Bush administration. Fox "News" and right-wing talk radio are the worst, but with propagandistic outlets setting the standard for truth and patriotism, all of the media is affected to some degree."
I remember back in Nixon's days when the press was with us. Watergate reporting caused Journalism school to swell.
The press simply is a loudspeaker for the Bush Regime. That the Bush Regime was creating propaganda pieces for the news (FALSE NEWS PIECES), was revealed two years ago.
ANYBODY that comes on Faux News is SUSPECT right off the bat!
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Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1807
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 01:44 pm: |
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They are dumb. People like ABM cling to the dear delusion that if these people are to be shown the right way all is needed is some love and education.
What you do is give them some money and have their leaders tell them Jesus wants them to vote for you. Then tell them black people will move into their neighborhood and they will have gay marriage. Oh yes, maybe something about Socialism or Communism, too. |
Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 4100
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 01:50 pm: |
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Chris,
You misunderstand me. I'm not arguing that American are smart. To ME, that's irrelevant.
Because in the Republic to which we stand, the view of majority will prevail, regardless of how erroneous it might be. And you must at least RESPECT that if you're EVER to have a chance of PREVAILING upon or above such. |
Ntfs_encryption
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Ntfs_encryption
Post Number: 179
Registered: 10-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2006 - 06:54 pm: |
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"Half of the US population is incapable of acquiring, processing and understanding information."
This is so true. It's depressing to realize the level of ignorance and gullibility of the general American public. I say this not to pile on with cynical remarks, but it is true. This is also a true story. I recall hearing about a poll that was taken last year (I can’t recall the details), where the question was asked; “Was America’s involvement in Viet Nam worth the sacrifice (sic)?” THE OVER WHELMING MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO RESPONDED SAID YES. I was numb and speechless with disbelief.
The Bush misleading patriotic propaganda of "National Security" and “the terrorists are coming to get you” mantra, propelled him back into office. There is an unfortunate large number of well meaning decent hard working Americans who really believe Bush is trying to save them. It's sad.
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Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 4202
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2006 - 08:18 pm: |
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Ntfs_encryption,
A lot of people are inured in basic philosophy about what being American means both to America and to the world: We are here to lead, guide and save the planet...until GOD calls us all home.
It's a religion.
So telling foks they're stupid because they believe Iraq had WMD has about all the effectiveness of telling a Christian he's stupid for believing that Christ was the son of GOD. |
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