What's wrong with this country in a nutshell

[jpgray]

Here's a very important development:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_17-...

Saturday, July 17, 2004

By Zamir Haider

"ISLAMABAD: The governments of United States and Pakistan on Friday signed a debt cancellation agreement worth $495.3 million in official government-to-government debt owed by Pakistan to the United States.

"Dr Waqar Masood Khan, secretary Economic Affairs Division (EAD) and Ms Nancy J Powell, US ambassador to Pakistan, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective governments."
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Now, in my view this should get wall-to-wall coverage on all news networks. Who made this decision? What are we getting in return? Why do we give a half billion in taxpayer money to a totalitarian nation that sells nuclear material and equipment to 'axis of evil' nations, a nation that 'supports terrorists' itself? What do we get instead? Inane coverage of Martha Stewart, Laci Peterson, 2004 horse-race minutiae that runs from substance as fast as it can, etc.

To be blunt, this country blows right now. It really, really blows. The alleged sexual abuse of children in Iraq prisons by our soldiers--another bombshell that deserves in-depth research and investigation and full-time reporting--is also strangely absent from the bylines. Where is it? Niger was debunked in Nov 2002 by the IAEA, but when did it get on the news networks? Why, after 'major combat operations' were complete! Suppose there just wasn't time to cover this major falsehood in the administration's case for war until all the wad had been shot and we were committed no matter what.

I defy you to find a single network that devotes more than a minute and a half per day toward such issues. Celebrity nonsense and worthless superficial stories are all we will get from the media, all filtered through the two parties and then pronounced objective. When facts are available that have no use to either party (or hurt both), you will never, ever hear about them. Add that to the fact that we (all of us) have become way too selfish, lazy and stupid to argue about anything other than what they tell us to argue about, and this country is looking like a disaster. Any ideas on how to fix it?

[Warren DeMontague]

1. Actually,

I think we need more in-depth coverage of John Edwards' hair, and thoughtful analysis of the pictures of them hugging each other.

I started a thread about how I think it's funny that, first off, no one seems to care that Saudi Arabia has decided to grant amnesty to high-level al qaeda members (whether or not this amnesty means they will be immune from any prosecution is unclear- however, it seems damn unlikely that our intelligence or law enforcement agencies will have access to these people) ... no one seems to be asking where Saudi Arabia, with it's history of playing both sides of the Al Qaeda fence, gets off "amnestizing" people who may have had a hand in the murder of 3,000 americans.

Also in the creepy weird behavior by the DOJ department, you finally have some lawmakers-- like Leahy-- asking team Ashcroft why, exactly, we released this apparently very dangerous terrorist Nabil Al-Marabh to Syria.. The justice dept's answer has been that to detain or try this man would have led to "release of sensitive information pertaining to national security"... therefore, uh.. I know! Just let him go! Well, there's evidence Al-Marabh may have had contact with the 9-11 hijackers... Am I the only potential tinfoilhatter who would really like to know what "sensitive national security information" the Justice Dept. doesn't want getting out so badly, that they felt the need to ship a major terrorist off to Syria?

I agree-- the "news" is shlock.
They'd like to be feeding us 24 hours of Kobe, Jacko, and Laci.

[IronLionZion]

5. no no no no no, it means they won't get the death penalty

and I support it. A few guys have turned themselves in and may help in getting the others. And I read this offer was only for a few more days.

[burythehatchet]

2. my mini-rant from yesterday

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2009575&mesg_id=2009575

[Deja Q]

3. We're in $7 tril debt and they're cancelling loans from other countries?!

:wow:

What's left to fix? :shrug: :cry:

[Protected]

4. It blows alright.

Everybody is more concerned with last season's "American Idol" than the situations around the nation and world that could seriously effect all of our lives. Then we have all of rural America brainwashed by Bush's "folksiness" and think that his pro-big-business/anti-worker agenda is just wonderful.

So was this half a billion dollars payment for hiding bin Laden or something?

[IronLionZion]

6. to hide him until election time

or let him out during the Dem convention

[gator_in_Ontario]

7. *ush

oh, I'm sorry. I thought you said 'nuthouse'.

[indigobusiness]

8. A world view shaped by a bottom-liine, spread-sheet mentality

instead of a philosophical view based on proverbial wisdom and mythic truth.

Lateral thinking must overcome linear projection.

[kentuck]

9. Yeah.....shells and nuts...

in a nutshell...:shrug: