Daily Archives: January 2, 2014

01/2/14

Stephen Colbert and Me

By: Cliff Kincaid
Accuracy in Media

My New Year’s resolution is a repeat: never to trust the Big Media again. Except that the Big Media now include people like Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart.

I waited over a year for a Stephen Colbert story about me to appear. When it didn’t, they didn’t even send my kids the free T-shirts they promised. Can you get any lower than that?

“America’s ballsiest pundit,” as he is described, failed to deliver.

This isn’t sour grapes. It’s just a warning to conservatives. I didn’t let myself get set up.

When I traveled to New York City in October 2012 for an interview with one of Colbert’s producers, I had no illusions about his politics. I knew he was on the left. The former sidekick to Jon Stewart not only has his own Comedy Central show, but coordinated his “Keep Fear Alive” rally with Stewart’s “Restore Sanity” rally in 2010.

But humor is better than meanness, and both the Stewart and Colbert shows can be funny at times. So I thought I’d play along, hoping to score a few serious points.

The book, From Cronkite to Colbert, actually serves as a college journalism textbook, based on the premise that comedians like Colbert have become some of the most important sources of legitimate news. In effect, they have become the new media power brokers.

Perhaps his clout has been overestimated. Colbert’s sister, Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, lost her bid for a seat in Congress in a special May 2013 election, losing to disgraced former Republican South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford (54 to 45 percent). Stephen Colbert had even campaigned for her.

I was told Colbert’s producers wanted to discuss communism and Russian espionage. Knowing it was the Colbert show, I sent them a humorous video AIM had done about the Moscow-funded propaganda channel Russia Today (RT). I also sent a serious report on the KGB’s role in terrorism.

I sat down with a producer, on camera, for an hour before briefly meeting Colbert on the way out.

The subject was Russian boars. The producer wanted to know if I thought the proliferation of this species of wild pig, now being hunted in such places as Michigan and North Carolina, was a Russian plot by Vladimir Putin. Get it?

Rather than being a total sap and playing completely along with the gag, I tried to turn the tables, mentioning Paul Kengor’s book on Frank Marshall Davis, The Communist, and leaving a copy. The book describes the influence that the Communist Party member had on President Obama.

Although they were looking for a funny angle—the invasion of Russian boars—I instead talked about Russian moles, some of them in government. In technical jargon, I went “off-script.”

I thought we should talk about Russian moles instead of Russian boars. Moles like Davis. Or, I suggested, the secret Russian agent Anna Chapman, who was arrested in New York City in 2010 and expelled for spying. (She recently proposed marriage to NSA leaker Edward Snowden).

Perhaps it was not what they intended. But I thought it was a serious point being made in a somewhat humorous way. It was something they could work with.

So I waited month after month, being led to believe the piece was being edited for airing.

Finally I got the news:

“Hi Chris [sic],

“The piece in which you were interviewed has been shelved indefinitely. Thanks so much though, for your participation. We’d be happy to send your kids a T shirt—what’s your address?

“All the best, Megan [Gearheart].”

All I got out of the affair was some coffee, donuts and sandwiches, and a train ride to and from New York City. My kids never got their T-shirts.

I still love New York City, and travel to and from there regularly. My family and I just saw “Newsies,” about the revolt against the Big Media of the day staged by the poor kids selling the papers.

Joseph Pulitzer tried to crush the revolt, in part by eliminating any mention of the strike in his papers.

The lesson of my experience with Colbert: If they can’t make fun of you, your story will end up on the cutting room floor.

Such is the nature of modern-day journalism. Meet the new boss; same as the old boss.

Cliff Kincaid is the Director of the AIM Center for Investigative Journalism and can be contacted at [email protected]. View the complete archives from Cliff Kincaid.

01/2/14

Recapping 2013 with Strategies for 2014 and Beyond

By: Susan Knowles
Gulag Bound

Christmas has come and gone and it’s now time to start the New Year. It’s hard to believe that it will be 2014 in just a few short hours here on the west coast.

Obamacare site anathema

We’ve been through a lot this year. We have seen the dismal failure of what was forced upon us without majority approval from the American public; Obamacare. We have also seen the aftermath of the catastrophic Obamacare sign-up while having to endure the lies from the Obama administration about how well the enrollment was going on the Obamacare website. While enrollment was touted as being high and quoted as the reason for the website crashes, we now know that the truth is that the government once again wasted millions of our taxpayer dollars on a website that couldn’t even take money for insurance that people were mandated to buy. We learned further that millions more would have to be spent to fix the “perfectly fine” website.

We’ve also watched the NSA in 2013 gain more power through private information that it continues to gather against the American people. It appears that no two judges can agree on whether the NSA practice should be stopped. One judge recently ruled that NSA’s information gathering is unconstitutional and a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s 4th Amendment against unlawful searches and seizures while another judge recently ruled that no violation exists. I guess it’s on to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2014.

We listened as the President continued to try and divide this country along racial lines by speaking out when there was a black victim involved but saw him remain silent when the victim’s skin color wasn’t the “right” color worthy of the President’s attention.

What difference?

Benghazi was also once again at the forefront in 2013. The ominous “video” story reared its ugly head once more when the NY Times recently proclaimed that the attack that killed Ambassador Stevens and three other heroes was in part caused by a video and not connected to Al Qaeda.

Although there was no resolution in 2013 to what happened in Benghazi, “What difference does it make” will be the campaign slogan used against Hillary Clinton should she decide to run for president in 2016.

Agent Brian Terry

Agent Brian Terry

We’ve also just learned that another shootout involving firearms connected to the “Fast and Furious” federal gun-walking operation occurred in Mexico at a resort on December 18, 2013, yet no one, including Attorney General Eric Holder was held accountable in 2013 for this continuing fiasco.

It has been a year of “do as I say, not as I do” from the tolerant progressive left who have been given a pass for the most part. We’ve heard Martin Bashir advocate for “defecating” in Sarah Palin’s mouth, Melissa Harris-Perry’s inappropriate comments about the grandson of Mitt Romney, Obama’s famous or infamous line, “if you like your plan you can keep it”, the IRS tactics against the Tea Party, Kathleen Sibelius’ lies about how wonderfully the Obamacare website is working, and the blaming of the government shutdown on Senator Ted Cruz just to name a few.

Then there was the GOP’s infighting. You remember the ones where Senator John McCain called Senator Cruz a “wacko bird” when Ted Cruz attempted to defund Obamacare and Senators McConnell and Cornyn didn’t support Cruz’s efforts either. Or perhaps you remember when Senator Peter King called Cruz a “fraud,” “bad for his party,” and a person who “would no longer have any influence in the Republican party.”

It’s clear that 2013 has been a hotbed of controversy that will likely only worsen in 2014. Why do I think the controversy will worsen? I think so because I feel a shift in power coming.

Progressives hate it when “positive” change occurs. You know the kind of change; where justice is finally served after years of watching injustice rule.

I believe that America is starting to wake up and the speed in which they are waking up is increasing. Those who voted for Obama are starting to realize that the State run media didn’t vet this President and the same media also did not tell them that Obamacare might actually “cost” them dearly. The media failed to reveal the high dollar amounts that Americans would have to pay for the same or less insurance coverage and that they could possibly lose their health coverage altogether.

Christian voters are also beginning to realize what staying at home got them in the last two elections. It gave them a President who does not represent their views on abortion and birth control but one who is hell bent on making them support these policies with their dollars.

Further, Conservative voters are starting to understand that they have been silent too long and that their power lies within their belief in God, taking a stand as an individual for what is just, and joining together with like-minded people to make a difference.

As we move forward into 2014 and apply the lessons learned in 2013, those who believe in the U.S. Constitution know that “war” has been declared on American values and that steps must be taken to preserve the tenets of what this country was built on. A Convention of States will need to be investigated as a possible mechanism given to us by our forefathers for this very moment in which we find our country

Further, the GOP RINOs who have turned their backs on conservative principles must be sent packing in 2014 and 2016. Only those politicians who represent conservative (Constitutionalist and fiscal conservatives) values will be considered for office. They will also have a limited time in which to carry out the duties of the office into which they are elected because the American people will seek to impose term-limits (Convention of States’ agenda). Career politicians will need to find another career!

Those on the right will need to quit succumbing to the pressures of political correctness from the progressive left. They have used this “weapon” against those on the right who do not agree with their point of view. For too long, those on the right have been willing to sit down and shut up for fear of offending. Remember who you are and who you have always been. Americans do not generally seek to offend. Our speech is protected by the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. There may be those that do not agree with our speech but it does not give them the right to stop us from saying it. Don’t give up that right and don’t allow others to make you believe that we are anything but God-fearing Americans who generally respect others.

Finally, we need to “Stand for Truth” as we move forward in 2014 to take back and restore this country to its once great stature. No longer should we sit down and allow ANY governmental administration to disobey the laws of this country. We must call upon those who represent us to move forward in prosecuting and/or removing those from office who violate those laws. We must remember that we are a nation of laws and we must enforce those laws to the fullest extent.

So as we look toward 2014… Happy New Year and respectfully, I say… Let’s Roll!

————-

Knowles-Freedoms-FlightSusan Knowles is an author, psychotherapist and former practicing attorney. Her latest book, a political fiction, is entitled, “Freedom’s Fight: A Call to Remember” available on Amazon.com. Her website is www.susanknowles.com, where this article may also be found.

 

Photos:

01/2/14

New York Gets The Communist Leader It Deserves

By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

New York welcomes their communist Mayor amid gleeful populist adulation and a “controlled” celebration. Welcome to full-blown, unmasked communism in the Big Apple – red, juicy and rotten to its Progressive core. Hundreds lined up to glimpse their Dear Leader. They braved the elements for hours to just catch a glimpse of their anointed one. Congrats New York… enjoy surfing the spiral down into abject chaos and misery. You’ve earned it.

Could the fawning and fake accolades get any deeper or crappier? Let’s see, shall we?

To the many admirers of Mayor Bill de Blasio, the first Democratic mayor in two decades, a bitter cold day in January and a massive wait could do little to diminish their glow.

“It was awesome. I guess you can say it was like a growth experience for me because I’m grateful my vote counted and the guy I really wanted to get in, got in,” said Helen Marrow, a Manhattan hotel worker, as she waited for her turn with Mr. de Blasio.

“It’s something I never imagined, but I am so thrilled for him and his family and it gives me faith in politics in general,” reflected Marian Fontana, a writer from Staten Island. “I probably waited an hour and a half.”

Mr. de Blasio, looking confident between indecipherable small talk and endless photos–chugging a can of Limoncello to keep fresh in his dark suit and red tie–was feted as the sudden hero of progressives and good-government advocates across the city.

Excuse me… I just threw up in my mouth – a lot. These pampered, spoiled, wealthy idiots have elected a Mayor who will destroy everything they covet. They believe that they are among the elite and will be taken care of, while the lower class – the masses – are kept in line and in their place of servitude. They are flanked by the useful idiots who believe this false prophet will benefit their station in life somehow. What fools. To have never even read history, but to be destined to repeat its bloody past and worse. Be careful what you wish for Progressives, because you are sure to get it in spades.

A classic Progressive ploy was used in the ‘red’ event – it was touted as one of the most accessible and transparent ceremonies ever. In reality, it was anything but and showed the jackbooted tactics that will become the calling card of de Blasio and his goons:

But the inauguration, which was touted before-hand as “one of the most open and accessible swearing-in events in New York City history,” also provided a window into how the administration will handle the new crush of attention, with Mr. de Blasio–a former political operative known to be image-conscious–keping certain aspects of the event tightly controlled.

Along with Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Michael Bloomberg, Andrew Cuomo and the other stars who graced the inauguration stage, various non-political New Yorkers were asked to join them, lending the event an even more populist tinge. Hours before the speeches began, those New Yorkers sat quietly on folding chairs in the City Hall rotunda. But when Politicker approached a man to ask him about how it felt to take part in the inauguration, security quickly circled and demanded the interview end.

Later, when reporters tried to approach volunteers at the event, staffers quickly swooped in, saying the volunteers were barred from talking to the press.

And after Mr. de Blasio’s speech, reporters gathered inside on a carpet awaiting the Clintons were ordered by security guards off the carpet and behind columns where several refused to go. When asked who was inside, a de Blasio aide guarding the entrance was terse.

“Keep wondering,” he offered.

Fascism with a smile and a stylish leather boot – welcome to New York. Rhetoric at the inauguration was replete with references to the ‘plantation’ and ‘equality for all.’ Common catch phrases for communism these days and the redistribution of wealth. The over-educated and over-valued of New York lapped it up and clamored for more. Oh, and they will, until there is no more to give. These morons have to have someone wipe their posteriors for them – can you imagine how they will deal with the new Cuba?

Never ashamed to use God as a shield to hide behind with lies, these collectivists take blasphemy and their false beliefs to a whole new low:

In particular, Rev. Fred Lucas Jr., who was among several chaplains representing the city’s uniformed workers, surprised many observers by comparing the five boroughs to a “plantation.”

“Let the plantation called New York City be the city of God, a city set upon the hill, a light shining in darkness,” he declared. “Elevate our valleys. Make low our mountains. Make our crooked places straight and our rough places smooth. Oh God, oh God, oh God, break every chain, break every chain, break every chain.”

Mr. Lucas had several additional references to slavery in his short address, citing shackles, bondage, auction blocks, the Emancipation Proclamation, Civil War and Reconstruction Era.

“Oh God, on this first day of January–the anniversary of the first Emancipation Proclamation–sound forth the trumpets of heaven proclaiming a new Emancipation Proclamation in New York City,” he invoked. “From your divine leadership, emancipate every New Yorker from the shackles of fear, futility and frustration … Oh God, end the civil wars and usher in a new Reconstruction Era that builds upon the many successes and achievements of yesterday while proclaiming the beginning of a new beginning.”

The speaker before Mr. Lucas, civil rights activist Harry Belafonte, was also blunt as he discussed racial tensions and injustices cemented by government policies. (Mr. Belafonte, of course, is not known to be a bashful speaker; during the campaign, he caused controversy after comparing the billionaire Koch brothers to the KKK.)

It is unclear exactly which God the good Reverend was beseeching. Just sayin’. Belafonte is a certified raving lunatic and both are hardcore Marxists. They are using race and religion to implement communism. How people can’t see that, is beyond me. What dupes.

The Washington Post and the other propaganda outlets of the American Marxists fell right into line, praising de Blasio and the resurgence of Progressives. According to them it is a new dawn for America. I’m pretty sure that is a red dawn, but I digress. Every flawed argument for spending, control, the elimination of Constitutional rights and on and on is just more of the same – the clarion call to communism. For some reason a very small minority of radicals seem to be running the country and we can’t wrest control back. We better do so and soon. 2014 is literally do or die for conservatives and the Republic.

New York has gotten the communist leader they deserve in Bill de Blasio. Let not the whole of America follow down that dark and deadly path into a bloody and murderous history.

Matthew Vadum: Comrade De Blasio Takes Over

Judson Phillips: New York City: Comrade Mayor is sworn in