Monday, March 6, 2017

Stop the Presses

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Putin, Trump See Eye to Eye

“[N]o one is predicting car bombings or poisonings of American journalists, [but] it’s not much of a stretch to see similarities between Trump and Putin’s attitude. Both leaders want a compliant press and are willing to take action toward getting it — some, of course, more extreme than others.”

—Margaret Sullivan, media columnist, “Putin destroyed Russia’s independent press. Trump seems to want the same,” The Washington Post, March 5, 2017

• Editorial Comment: Who’s the enemy of the people now?


PeezPix by Ted Pease


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Ted Pease, Professor of Interesting Stuff, Trinidad, California. (Be)Friend The WORD

“Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” —Tom Stoppard
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1 comment:

  1. Ted Pease, Professor of Interesting StuffMarch 6, 2017 at 8:52 AM

    Alert WORDster Steve Ross points out:

    I could argue that the press is as much the enemy of the people as Trump. Examples from recent non-coverage:

    1. Trump is allowing coal miners to destroy rivers -- even though coal has lost a price competition with natural gas, and coal is a far dirtier fuel. The river pollution will just complicate the work of turning coal-economy counties into something with future worth.

    2. Trump authorized several new oil and gas pipelines "to create jobs," but the pipelines make coal even less competitive.

    3. The renewable energy industry in the USA employs over 4 million workers. Coal 60,000. Oil and gas 600,000. which industry to protect, even if you don't give a damn about the environment? Hint: Workers create renewable energy. Dinosaurs and trees worked off the clock to create fossil fuels.

    4. Trump wants to cut $12 billion in foreign aid. But we don't send money. We send food, building materials and consultants -- almost all American workers and "made in America" products. In other words, while foreign aid is in itself a good thing -- spreading American influence and reducing chance of costly wars -- it also creates hundreds of thousands of American jobs.

    5. Trump gave a really great, presidential speech to Congress. As Washington Post pointed out but hardly anyone quoted, the speech was marred by 14 major lies... 51 lies in all, for a new presidential record of a lie every 70 seconds.

    6. So many complaints from the far-far left about how the Democrats didn't help the working class -- while more than 1000 Democrat bills and regulatory initiatives on minimum wage, college loan forgiveness, rural broadband and on and on were blocked by unanimous Republican vote or by Trump executive orders.

    Trump doesn't have to pull a Putin on mainstream media. We already did it to ourselves.

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