Playing mindf**k with the voters rather than trying to solve problems may sound diabolic but the fact that such is the case was highlighted by Berkeley CA merchants this week when store windows began to simultaneously proclaim: “All Lives Matter.” Some people see the problem as a chance to build up a new wedge issue for dividing the Democrats. Cynics proclaim that the Republicans want a race war and that would provide an excuse for establishing marshal law.
Drone strikes produce collateral damage, to be sure, but Americans are comfortable with that fact (well, most) and shrug off any attempts to focus attention on the regrettable civilian casualties. Americans don’t want to think about the question of do those lives matter. Wasn’t the image of just one crying infant in Nan King use to visually establish the barbaric nature of the “enemy” during WWII?
Speaking of playing mindf**k, some radical elements of the Amalgamated Conspiracy Theory Factory have suggested that the hack attack on Sony was just a “false flag” operation designed to build the audience for a mediocre comedy that would sell more admission tickets by being established as a way to make a bold and courageous statement in favor of freedom of speech.
Such a cynical interpretation would assume that revealing the bitchy e-mails was just a bit of psychological collateral damage and was worth the effort needed to make a poor example of cinematic artistry into a modern pop culture phenomenon.
Why, in the era of “Black Lives Matter,” is the mainstream media ignoring the case of the Florida woman who fired a warning shot and now faces twenty years in prison in a state that became famous for promoting the “stand your ground” principle? Do a Google News search for Marissa Alexander.
Why, when Ferguson Marches have become ubiquitous and contentious, do the mainstream media ignore the case of Ezell Ford?
The World’s Laziest Journalist had intended to take a pundit break from early December until late in January of 2015 when we fully expect the Republican Reich to start impeachment proceedings aimed at President Obama.
Suddenly, Berkeley CA became the home of repeated Ferguson Marches and also one of the few areas where the controversial SONY movie, “The Interview,” was being shown so we had to shelve our plans to run some “Best of” columns and churn out some new fresh attempts to observe, analyze, and comment rather than re-run some vintage insights into how after failing to end the Vietnam War as promised, President Nixon got reelected by making “Law and Order” the focus for winning a second term in office. Could “Law and Order” become the theme of the JEB Bush campaign in 2016?
When it came time to rush off on Christmas Day to the Berkeley theater showing “The Interview,” we realized that on the skim and skip battleground called the Internets a prolonged effort to review the new comedy might be a bit of wasted time and effort because readers just want to know if the flick is funny and worth the price of admission. So we could reference its rating on the tomato meter and throw in some premeditated misspellings and not have to bother to actually see the film and ponder its social significance.
Can SONY subsidize an effort to get Dennis Rodman to provide some damage control and defuse the crisis with North Korea? Is it true that Rodman now travels with a passport that provides him with diplomatic immunity status?
As of the morning of Friday, December 26, 2014, the new movie was getting a 48% (of the reviews were good) rating on the Rotten Tomatoes web site.
We have noticed that the evening news shows are focusing on the weather rather than current events in Libya, Egypt, and Syria and so we must include the fact that Christmas Day in the San Francisco Bay Area was just another example of summer in winter California style.
The end of the year season is jam-packed with Top Ten Lists (compiled earlier in the month), Best of radio and TV programs, and innocuous feature stories such as the traditional Australian way to celebrate Christmas; in your bathing suit on one of their world famous beaches such as Bondi or Cottesloe. {Note from Photo Editor: The bronze surfer was seen in Fremantle Western Australia, some years ago at Christmas time.]
Isn’t it ironic that a man who got elected by promising to win the Vietnam War and got reelected on the issue of “Law and Order” came very close to being impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors?
Conservative pundits are relentless in asserting that everything wrong in America can be blamed on President Obama. If Obama is impeached early next year and if JEB is elected in 2016, some folks might expect that conservative pundits might have a difficult time explaining any gaffs (such as 9-11?) that occur during the Republican Reich era.
Just as the conservatives had no problem ignoring the reality and consequences of George W. Bush’s invasions and wars in the Middle East, conservatives will do the ostrich defense and will act like the folks who criticized the band’s performance while the Titanic was sinking.
George W. Bush was quoted as saying, on May 14, 2001: “For every fatal shooting, there were roughly three nonfatal shootings.”
Now the disk jockey will play “I shot the Sheriff,” “Frankie and Johnnie,” and Lauren Green’s “Ringo.” We have to go stock up on soda pop before the new Berkeley tax becomes effective. Have a “you get a get out of jail card” type week.