For a President Elect who claims to sympathize with and is going to improve the floundering economy Barack Obama and his people are sure willing to waste a lot of moolah. As msnbc.com said, "Unemployment is up. The stock market is down. Let's party."
Despite the fact that the US economy is in dire straits, the Obama party is going to be record breaking, estimates reaching around $150 mil. I would be willing to shrug it off and say alrighty, it's his party he can blow a hundred million dollars if he wants to if it wasn't for the ridiculous hypocrisy surrounding this 'little' gala.
As you may remember, four years ago the Democrats, reeling from Kerry's failed bid for the Presidency, decided to call President G.W. Bush out for throwing an inauguration party. They whined and they moaned, stomping their feet in a tantrum, insisting that he must be frugal when throwing the party. Hmm, those practical people are making so such demands of President Elect Obama, and this is going to be a party to rival P. Diddy's.
Dems asked Bush to "show a little less pomp and a little more circumspect at his party." The Democrat camp insisted that excessive celebration would be inappropriate while our nation was at war. Well, dear Democrats and dissenters alike, THE NATION IS STILL AT WAR. And unemployment is ridiculously and terrifyingly high, Obama convinced Congress to release the second half of the bailout to try and rescue the banking industry...so this is the perfect time for a legendary gala, right?
The inaugural committee raised upwards of 40 mil to cover a fraction of the cost, Beyonce, U2 and Bruce Springsteen are set to entertain and there are to be a whopping 10 'official' inaugural balls.
Think about this...the economy is down the toilet and Obama has been preaching change since he first hopped on the campaign trail and he isn't exactly setting a good precedent in this respect. I'm all for changing up the govt, but I cannot approve of throwing a rock star party with Obama as the center piece. He is going to be the President of the US and people are treating him like the second coming and no one is wagging their finger at him for blowing off epic amounts of money, a chunk of which we the taxpayers will be responsible for.
His presidency is going to be historic, and his inauguration party is going to be equally historic...setting records for blowing off money. He won, he's the President and the media is madly in love with him. Barack Obama has all of this going for him, does he also have to throw his lot in with the movie stars by throwing a star-studded event?
Not only is it going to be a night for entertainment, the cost of security and transport...all of which is going to be placed on the taxpayers shoulders, will make the bill for this gala astronomical.
Obama's committee say that they will be "mindful of the times," and that they are "not worried people will see the FOUR DAYS of festivities as excessive." Hmm, why on earth would we say that four days of partying like we're trying for a reincarnation of Sodom and Gomorrah is excessive? "It is not a celebration of an election. It's a celebration of our common values." Well, it's well-timed, and I don't think anyone's buying that nonsense.
Change we can believe in...I hope President Obama starts practicing what he preaches after his overindulgent celebration. Another person from his camp said that the administration are "trying to be reflective of the climate," but it certainly doesn't sound like it. We could be on the brink of an economic depression and we are definitely in a state of crisis, this is neither the time nor the place for a $150 million dollar party.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28707475/
Monday, January 19, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Jett Travolta Dies, the Media Thrives
Unfortunately I didn’t have power from Wednesday afternoon til late Thursday, so this is going up a bit late.
I’m not one to use the Internet as a soap stand, but this past week has been a particularly frustrating and irritating one. I am well aware of the freedom of the press and of speech, but I am sick and tired of the media’s blatant lack of sensitivity concerning the tragic passing of John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s son Jett.
The poor 16 year old boy who suffered from Kawasaki syndrome and is speculated to have been autistic was barely cold when the ruthless cutthroats in both television and newspaper were already rummaging through the facts to sensationalize the tragedy. Scientology, the religion to which both Preston and Travolta practice, has long since been regarded as almost a cult, and while the Travoltas are grieving over the devastating loss of their beloved son the media has been nothing short of malicious, insisting that the religion is to blame for the boy’s death.
Whatever happened to a sense of moral decency and decorum? As soon as it was reported that Jett passed away the media vultures saw this as time for a feast, not requiring evidence. All of this immediately fueled wild speculation that Scientology is to blame and that his parents are responsible, without proof or reason to believe so.
Of course the medical examiners and police detectives should pursue every avenue of investigation, but I can’t help but feel horrible for the poor family that has to dodge these rumors whilst grieving.
It’s a sad testament to the morality in our society that before the toxicology report or autopsy was even released the hounds were already out for blood. These parents just lost their child and there is no proof whatsoever of wrongdoing or neglect, in the article it’s reported that Jett was on Depakote for years, shooting down the pervasive rumor that the parents must not have medicated their seizure prone son.
No one knows exactly what happened to the late Jett Travolta, and while I am all for reporting the facts I think it is shameful how unscrupulous the media is acting. They should wait until the facts are in before printing devastating and baseless accusations. The poor people just lost their son, and instead of receiving the benefit of the doubt they were painted as brainwashed villains. This article is not guilty of this, it’s simply informative but from the news coverage this story has received it’s sickening the insensitivity that has been allocated to this misfortune.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/02/obit.jett.travolta/index.html
I’m not one to use the Internet as a soap stand, but this past week has been a particularly frustrating and irritating one. I am well aware of the freedom of the press and of speech, but I am sick and tired of the media’s blatant lack of sensitivity concerning the tragic passing of John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s son Jett.
The poor 16 year old boy who suffered from Kawasaki syndrome and is speculated to have been autistic was barely cold when the ruthless cutthroats in both television and newspaper were already rummaging through the facts to sensationalize the tragedy. Scientology, the religion to which both Preston and Travolta practice, has long since been regarded as almost a cult, and while the Travoltas are grieving over the devastating loss of their beloved son the media has been nothing short of malicious, insisting that the religion is to blame for the boy’s death.
Whatever happened to a sense of moral decency and decorum? As soon as it was reported that Jett passed away the media vultures saw this as time for a feast, not requiring evidence. All of this immediately fueled wild speculation that Scientology is to blame and that his parents are responsible, without proof or reason to believe so.
Of course the medical examiners and police detectives should pursue every avenue of investigation, but I can’t help but feel horrible for the poor family that has to dodge these rumors whilst grieving.
It’s a sad testament to the morality in our society that before the toxicology report or autopsy was even released the hounds were already out for blood. These parents just lost their child and there is no proof whatsoever of wrongdoing or neglect, in the article it’s reported that Jett was on Depakote for years, shooting down the pervasive rumor that the parents must not have medicated their seizure prone son.
No one knows exactly what happened to the late Jett Travolta, and while I am all for reporting the facts I think it is shameful how unscrupulous the media is acting. They should wait until the facts are in before printing devastating and baseless accusations. The poor people just lost their son, and instead of receiving the benefit of the doubt they were painted as brainwashed villains. This article is not guilty of this, it’s simply informative but from the news coverage this story has received it’s sickening the insensitivity that has been allocated to this misfortune.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/02/obit.jett.travolta/index.html
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Ruffalo Loses a Game of Russian Roulette
For a while we couldn't get the blog at school and I couldn't get it at home, either. So I'm making up for lost time!
Mego
In sad news, movie star Mark Ruffalo's brother, Scott, recently died of what now appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. What started out as a murder tragedy now seems to be more of a case of Russian Roulette gone wrong.
The suspect Shaha Mishaal Adham was cleared after being held without bail since Monday, and instead of being considered to be his murderer, it now seems all the more likely that Adham was a witness to the horrific incident.
While it's understandable why the police would suspect Ruffalo's friend Adham of the murder, seeing as she fled the scene and evaded capture, resulting in, as attorney Ronald Richards called it; "A series of wrong decisions starting with her not staying at the scene of the shooting caused an incredible chain reaction of stupidity and bad luck."
Ruffalo was on life support for a week before the decision was made to pull the plug, and this tragedy has affected Scott's friends and family very much. One could argue that the police simply pursued a possibility with Adham and another suspect Scofield, but Richards said on the record that the police were, "more than impartial with the facts."
The Ruffalo family thanks those who have supported them in this difficult time and announced the plan to create a fund in his honor.
One can only hope that the police and investigators learn from this incident, as well as other not quite to high profile cases, not to jump to conclusions and to assess the facts and clues before coming to a decision.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081210/ap_en_mo/people_mark_ruffalo;_ylt=Aj6F.G3_ZTv76fJaJ95ddydxFb8C
Mego
In sad news, movie star Mark Ruffalo's brother, Scott, recently died of what now appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. What started out as a murder tragedy now seems to be more of a case of Russian Roulette gone wrong.
The suspect Shaha Mishaal Adham was cleared after being held without bail since Monday, and instead of being considered to be his murderer, it now seems all the more likely that Adham was a witness to the horrific incident.
While it's understandable why the police would suspect Ruffalo's friend Adham of the murder, seeing as she fled the scene and evaded capture, resulting in, as attorney Ronald Richards called it; "A series of wrong decisions starting with her not staying at the scene of the shooting caused an incredible chain reaction of stupidity and bad luck."
Ruffalo was on life support for a week before the decision was made to pull the plug, and this tragedy has affected Scott's friends and family very much. One could argue that the police simply pursued a possibility with Adham and another suspect Scofield, but Richards said on the record that the police were, "more than impartial with the facts."
The Ruffalo family thanks those who have supported them in this difficult time and announced the plan to create a fund in his honor.
One can only hope that the police and investigators learn from this incident, as well as other not quite to high profile cases, not to jump to conclusions and to assess the facts and clues before coming to a decision.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081210/ap_en_mo/people_mark_ruffalo;_ylt=Aj6F.G3_ZTv76fJaJ95ddydxFb8C
Obama: Not a US Citizen? Sure...
Mego
Recently a New Jersey man, Leo Donofrio, issued an urgent appeal to the Supreme Court, stating that President Elect Obama is ineligible to be President of the US because he was considered to be a British subject at birth. Several things coursed through my mind as I read this:
1) This plain isn't true.
2) If this has any sort of veracity, why the hell didn't someone (ANYONE?!?) try to get this confirmed or denied beforehand?
3) Why is this concern only being touched on now that Obama is the President Elect?
From someone who's heard the ridiculous assertion that Monica Lewinsky was a secret sex spy sent by the GOP to discredit President Clinton, this too sounds like a massive (and ridiculous) conspiracy theory.
This sort of hairsplitting is frustrating enough, but if this was an actual concern why has it taken this long to emerge? Seeing as the Supreme Court dismissed this ridiculous claim, they seem to be in agreement that this is too little, too late. Donofrio stated that there was a possibility that Obama's birth certificate was a fake, it was proven to be legit, and that seeing as he was a dual citizen at birth he is not a naturalized US citizen he should never have run for President.
As someone who doesn't particularly care for the new President Elect, I still see this as the desperate straw graspings of someone who doesn't want to admit to the inevitable.
read it here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081208/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_obama
Recently a New Jersey man, Leo Donofrio, issued an urgent appeal to the Supreme Court, stating that President Elect Obama is ineligible to be President of the US because he was considered to be a British subject at birth. Several things coursed through my mind as I read this:
1) This plain isn't true.
2) If this has any sort of veracity, why the hell didn't someone (ANYONE?!?) try to get this confirmed or denied beforehand?
3) Why is this concern only being touched on now that Obama is the President Elect?
From someone who's heard the ridiculous assertion that Monica Lewinsky was a secret sex spy sent by the GOP to discredit President Clinton, this too sounds like a massive (and ridiculous) conspiracy theory.
This sort of hairsplitting is frustrating enough, but if this was an actual concern why has it taken this long to emerge? Seeing as the Supreme Court dismissed this ridiculous claim, they seem to be in agreement that this is too little, too late. Donofrio stated that there was a possibility that Obama's birth certificate was a fake, it was proven to be legit, and that seeing as he was a dual citizen at birth he is not a naturalized US citizen he should never have run for President.
As someone who doesn't particularly care for the new President Elect, I still see this as the desperate straw graspings of someone who doesn't want to admit to the inevitable.
read it here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081208/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_obama
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Love at First Sight...the Media's Affair with Obama and Biden
By: Megan Pendagast
No person, or voter for that matter, can reasonably expect absolute perfection from those who are angling to be President and Vice President of the United States. Tensions between Dems and Reps are at a highpoint and it seems as though every time Senator John McCain or Governor Sarah Palin misspeaks the media jumps down their throats. Forget about it if they attempt to crack a joke, any stab at humor is immediately scrutinized and taken by those who read the transcripts as a gaffe.
When the Republican VP candidate was announced to be Sarah Palin people instantly exclaimed over her inexperience, despite the fact that she is a one-term governor running for VP with executive experience as opposed to one-term Senator Obama who is running for Head of State with no exec. experience whatsoever.
Very few media outlets chastised the Democrat VP candidate Biden, despite the fact that he is known throughout Washington as an 'attack dog'. Delaware Senator Draper wisely stated, "Joe Biden Can't Shut Up." Biden certainly has his strengths that make him a very important commodity to the campaign, such as his experience, his oratory talents as well as his heart-wrenching life-story. While the media bombards Sarah Palin for her blunders, Biden's slip-ups are generally disregarded by the media at large.
Who could forget how Palin's mistakes were rewinded and replayed on several mainstream news sources after her bumbling interview with Katie Couric, who pelted many 'GOTCHA!' questions at the VP hopeful. Couric took an entirely different tack when interviewing Biden, going from fierce inquisitor to bashful fan in between the span of the two interviews. Biden asserted that Roosevelt, after the crash of '29, addressed the nation on the television to alleviate fears. Couric sat, listening sympathetically, either not realizing or bothering to correct Biden's two colossal gaffes. For one, Hoover was President during the crash and secondly, television had yet to be mainstreamed.
The VP hopeful also managed to offend many by making snide references to Palin's attractiveness, as well as openly disagreeing with Senator Obama's position on gun laws. They are the Odd Couple indeed.
Strangely, none of these historical inaccuracies and general faux pas have made Biden the target Palin has become. Mark Halperin, the author of the article I am commenting on, asserts that this could be a result of the fact that Biden is well known for putting his foot in his mouth on numerous occasions.
One of the beauties of America is the press' ability to freely state the news, but my question is, why is the 'truth' so selective? Why is it that Palin can make a gaffe the same caliber of Biden's, and yet only she is a victim of the media's scorn? If a journalist cares to broadcast their opinions, it is perfectly fine—if in the context of an editorial. But it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a fair and balanced depiction of any news story anymore, much less the election or its proceedings. If I wanted to read a liberal rag or a conservative rant I would subscribe to it. But I don't so I don't want that! Is it really too much to ask for some equal treatment in the press?
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1846632,00.html?imw=Y
Read this article! It's really good and it's where I got my info & insights.
No person, or voter for that matter, can reasonably expect absolute perfection from those who are angling to be President and Vice President of the United States. Tensions between Dems and Reps are at a highpoint and it seems as though every time Senator John McCain or Governor Sarah Palin misspeaks the media jumps down their throats. Forget about it if they attempt to crack a joke, any stab at humor is immediately scrutinized and taken by those who read the transcripts as a gaffe.
When the Republican VP candidate was announced to be Sarah Palin people instantly exclaimed over her inexperience, despite the fact that she is a one-term governor running for VP with executive experience as opposed to one-term Senator Obama who is running for Head of State with no exec. experience whatsoever.
Very few media outlets chastised the Democrat VP candidate Biden, despite the fact that he is known throughout Washington as an 'attack dog'. Delaware Senator Draper wisely stated, "Joe Biden Can't Shut Up." Biden certainly has his strengths that make him a very important commodity to the campaign, such as his experience, his oratory talents as well as his heart-wrenching life-story. While the media bombards Sarah Palin for her blunders, Biden's slip-ups are generally disregarded by the media at large.
Who could forget how Palin's mistakes were rewinded and replayed on several mainstream news sources after her bumbling interview with Katie Couric, who pelted many 'GOTCHA!' questions at the VP hopeful. Couric took an entirely different tack when interviewing Biden, going from fierce inquisitor to bashful fan in between the span of the two interviews. Biden asserted that Roosevelt, after the crash of '29, addressed the nation on the television to alleviate fears. Couric sat, listening sympathetically, either not realizing or bothering to correct Biden's two colossal gaffes. For one, Hoover was President during the crash and secondly, television had yet to be mainstreamed.
The VP hopeful also managed to offend many by making snide references to Palin's attractiveness, as well as openly disagreeing with Senator Obama's position on gun laws. They are the Odd Couple indeed.
Strangely, none of these historical inaccuracies and general faux pas have made Biden the target Palin has become. Mark Halperin, the author of the article I am commenting on, asserts that this could be a result of the fact that Biden is well known for putting his foot in his mouth on numerous occasions.
One of the beauties of America is the press' ability to freely state the news, but my question is, why is the 'truth' so selective? Why is it that Palin can make a gaffe the same caliber of Biden's, and yet only she is a victim of the media's scorn? If a journalist cares to broadcast their opinions, it is perfectly fine—if in the context of an editorial. But it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a fair and balanced depiction of any news story anymore, much less the election or its proceedings. If I wanted to read a liberal rag or a conservative rant I would subscribe to it. But I don't so I don't want that! Is it really too much to ask for some equal treatment in the press?
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1846632,00.html?imw=Y
Read this article! It's really good and it's where I got my info & insights.
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