Watchdogs of the Press

Concerning the latest distraction (the one involving Representative Wiener), Glenn Greenwald hits it squarely on the nose:

There are few things more sickening -- or revealing -- to behold than a D.C. sex scandal. Huge numbers of people prance around flamboyantly condemning behavior in which they themselves routinely engage. Media stars contrive all sorts of high-minded justifications for luxuriating in every last dirty detail, when nothing is more obvious than that their only real interest is vicarious titillation. Reporters who would never dare challenge powerful political figures who torture, illegally eavesdrop, wage illegal wars or feed at the trough of sleazy legalized bribery suddenly walk upright -- like proud peacocks with their feathers extended -- pretending to be hard-core adversarial journalists as they collectively kick a sexually humiliated figure stripped of all importance. The ritual is as nauseating as it is predictable.

[Emphasis added by me.]
Truly, today's press is a fourth branch of government ... dutifully carrying water for the other three.

Getting Our Minds Right

I was driving with my wife and daughter yesterday on Interstate 465 around the southwest corner of Indianapolis, and we were going past the airport. Since I was driving, my wife was sightseeing out her window, and she asked, "Is that a prison?"


I glanced over to the right. In the far distance, the terminal buildings could be seen, but the airport's eastern border was dominated by the endless fence ... with what seemed like several miles of razor wire coiled on top of it. I could see how, if you didn't happen to know that was the airport, you could easily mistake it for a prison.

"No," I said, "that's the airport." Then, after a moment, it occurred to me: "Not that there's much difference."

In the Land of the Free™ today, the similarities are real and numerous. You sure don't want to give the bosses any backsass. Everything goes so much smoother if you just get your mind right.