In the past few months I’ve had the privilege of finding some “conservative” Christians that I, as a “liberal” Christian, can actually have a conversation about politics with – and, not have stuff thrown at me when I point out the “other side” of their arguments.  Usually, much of the “conservative” argument is based on our “liberal media” essentially being accused of “brainwashing” the American public.  Of course, in my view, the “liberal media” isn’t even close to “liberal” and the brainwashing is a reality, but it’s coming from the opposite direction from what “conservatives” have been able to dupe the American public into believing.  I’ve pointed out to my friends that, thanks to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (signed by Bill Clinton) our “liberal media” has been “condensed” to essentially a group of corporations (that are not “liberal”) that you can count with your ten fingers.  There are many examples of how this “liberal” media is playing out in today’s America.  I’ll focus on a couple “biggies.”

Let’s start with the Affordable Care Act – AKA Obamacare.  I’ve been finding (not in the “liberal media”) lately examples of how this health care reform is actually working.  Now, as you might surmise, I’m not finding this in the “main stream” or “liberal” media.  I have to look for it.  However, most people who have access to health care through “Obamacare” are happy with their coverage, AND they are paying for it.  Both of those findings were WIDELY predicted to fall on the other side of the spectrum.  Now, here’s the rub – at least for me (because, I was always happy to see friends of mine in desperate need of health care coverage FINALLY be able to get it) – I haven’t heard any evidence of all the nay sayers talking about this.  None of the prognosticators who predicted the doom and gloom scenario want to own up to their WRONG predictions.  But, that’s today’s America, isn’t it.  Our “pundits” like to make their bold “predictions” but there’s NEVER any accountability for being so WRONG.  Yet, the Limbaugh’s, the Hannity’s, the O’Reilly’s, the Beck’s, the republicans in our Congress, etc. etc. will continue to BASH this reform – instead of working to make it better.

The sad reality is that had the “nay sayers” simply recognized the severity of the problem in the first place and helped to create the solution to 50 MILLION Americans without access to health insurance, I wouldn’t have to be writing this and our nation would be better for it.  For one thing, the so-called PUBLIC OPTION would have been part of the “reform” which would have opened up the opportunity for all Americans to eventually be part of a “Medicare for all” system.  Instead, we have a group of right wing politicians ostensibly trying to turn back the clock to a point where the nearly 10 MILLION Americans who now have access to health insurance would be back to where they were prior to the (rough as it was) roll out of the Affordable Care Act.  Even now, in the states controlled by right wing republican governors and legislatures, there are MILLIONS more Americans who are being blocked from health insurance due to their “leaders” refusing to accept the expansion of MEDICAID that is available to their residents.  According to the statistics, the expansion of health care is THREE times more effective in states accepting the expansion of Medicaid than in those refusing it.  I don’t see any other way to look at this than as a rich vs poor issue.  I really don’t understand how any politician can sleep at night knowing they are preventing large numbers of people from having access to health care for “political” reasons.  Ughhhh!

Then there’s the “military industrial complex” – America’s “lifeblood.”  I’m going to try to condense my thoughts on this subject because I could go on forever.  Presently, I’m reading “Dirty Wars” by Jeremy Scahill – I recommend this book to any American who’s interested in finding out MUCH that our “liberal media” has been (and is) hiding from us.  Of course, if you’ve been around my site much in the past few years, you know how I feel about the Bush/Cheney regime and their use of TORTURE during the fiasco’s in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I’m not quite half way through the book, but it clearly points out how America’s “liberal media” ENABLED the Bush/Cheney administration to have pretty much carte blanche in their so-called “war on terror.”  Of course, you NEVER hear our “liberal media” pointing out how the Bush/Cheney (and, I’ve got to add Rumsfeld) policies created WAY MORE terrorists than they ever killed or captured.  The sad reality of all this is that a few “grunts” who were untrained and used as patsies were the SCAPEGOATS from the Abu Ghraib scandal that Scahill shows clearly was the result of decisions that came right out of the White House and the Secretary of Defense office.  Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld – along with all their surrogates who helped to justify TORTURE – always (as our leaders evidently do) isolated themselves from the consequences once the effects of their decision to throw out legality, the Army field manual, the Geneva Conventions, and rational thought as they instituted their policy of “enhanced interrogations” during the Iraq and Afghanistan misadventures.  Our “liberal media” was evidently afraid to report on the facts at that time, and I’m still not hearing reporting on how the Bush White House made us (and the rest of the world) less safe with their reaction to 9/11.

You have to read books to find out most of the reality of the Iraq “war” – which was on the planning board of Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz/Feith and other “neocons” prior to Bush being elected (actually appointed) to office (by our Supreme Court).  Scahill, time and again, brings up examples of how America’s leading “investigative” reporters at the time reported EXACTLY what Bush/Cheney et al wished them to publish.  Those who didn’t were blackballed.  Honestly, there’s so much about Iraq that reminds me of Viet Nam that it makes me sick to my stomach every time I write about it.  The war mongers behind the Iraq invasion didn’t even have the “stones” – in their time – to serve during Viet Nam.  Cheney received at least 5 “deferments” from the draft and most of us know that GW Bush was put into a “rich boys” Air Force reserve unit in which he rarely attended (of course, the records of his “service” “mysteriously” disappeared sometime after he was elected president) and kept him from serving in Viet Nam.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I joined the Marines in 1967 during college and when I reported for basic training I was rejected due to a damaged knee – so I did not serve in Viet Nam either.  However, just growing up in that era should have been enough to cause these people to know better than to commit our young men and women to an illegitimate war theater.  And, of course, as President Obama is in his 5th year of putting up with right wing attacks – NO MATTER what the circumstances – our “liberal media” not only has failed to hold Dick Cheney to task for being “so wrong on so much that affected so many,”  they’re still giving him opportunities to spread his vile opinions on national TV.  Instead of informing America of his WAR CRIMES our “liberal media” is continuing to publish his WAR MONGERING!

Then there’s the darling of the “liberal media” John McCain (and his buddy Lindsey Graham).  These two are despicable characters if you don’t believe America’s rightful place in the world is promoting ENDLESS WAR!  Over the course of my lifetime, in almost every instance, when there is a foreign policy crisis happening America’s politicians have “pulled together” in a sign of unity to support our “commander in chief.”  We even did this in the run up to the Iraq invasion (well, I didn’t – but, I certainly didn’t hope President Bush “failed” – I simply felt invading Iraq was wrong – I didn’t understand all the implications until much later like most people).  The reality of that situation was that Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz/Feith/Addington/Yoo/Bybee/Rice and the other surrogates involved in the scheme – were lying to the American public and manipulating the intelligence community to use the 9/11 attacks as the “Shock” (I refer you to Naomi Klein’s great book “The Shock Doctrine”) to enable their attempt to gain control of Iraq’s oil fortune.  I’ll say this again – where was our “liberal media?”  Anyone who questioned the motives of the Bush/Cheney regime were removed from their job.  (ie Dan Rather [CBS], Phil Donahue [MSNBC], and Peter Arnett [NBC and National Geographic])

Of course, McCain and Graham were cheer leading the war effort beyond the actual time frame in which we were involved.  In fact, despite the FACT that President Obama simply removed America’s forces on a schedule negotiated by the Bush administration, I recently wrote about how both McCain and Graham were blaming the recent unrest in Iraq on Obama’s “timid” foreign policy and his “decision” to pull American troops from Iraq.  (of course, the “invaders” are a group of “jihadists” that McCain himself was pictured with about a year ago as he was encouraging them to overthrow a government he dislikes in Syria – once they changed their focus to Iraq the same group became the “enemy”)  Of course, our “liberal media” would lead you to believe that McCain and Graham are experts on the Middle East unrest – despite their HISTORY of being wrong on EVERYTHING.  (In fact, I still remember during the 2008 campaign McCain not knowing the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims)

Now you’ve got McCain, Graham, and other right wing “pundits” criticizing President Obama in the face of the tragedy in Eastern Ukraine (what else would you expect?).  The problem I have with all this is why is this “liberal media” continuing to give these right wing war mongers and the pundits that support their propaganda scheme a constant platform?  Well, to me the answer is obvious and it’s why I ALWAYS put quotes around the words “liberal media.”  Our media is FAR FROM liberal!  In fact, this scheme to demonize “liberals” that has been going on since the hey day of Ronald Reagan has pushed the political debate in America so far to the “right” that I don’t even recognize the so called “liberals” – like, for example, President Obama.  In my mind Obama is no liberal (of course the most complimentary term the republicans use is “socialist”).  The Democratic party has swung so far right that it certainly doesn’t seem “liberal” to me.   Citizens United was the Supreme Court decision that pretty much cemented the philosophy that money RULES in America – and pragmatic politicians (democrats included) are showing that they TOTALLY understand success requires “feeding at the trough” of the corporate elite.  People like McCain and Graham (and the others) can say “whatever,” and I never see anyone going back and replaying their absurd comments that prove to be so wrong.

Just today, I decided to turn on the TV and I tuned into MSNBC only long enough to hear recordings of a constant babble coming from republicans (now, Al Sharpton wasn’t supporting them – he was actually reporting what was said and attempting to hold them accountable for their words) calling Obama all sorts of derogatory names because the Russian separatists in Ukraine shot down a Malaysian airliner.  Of course, this was a tragedy of major proportions and it was TOTALLY wrong – but, as expected, the only  words the right wing republicans could come up with were words aimed at blaming President Obama and further attempting to undermine our president’s credibility (they actually criticized him for being “thoughtful”).  I guess if you believe that two unwinnable wars at once aren’t enough, then today’s republican party is just for you.  (they seem to be pushing for the “big one” with Russia)Listening to today’s republicans makes me believe they respect Vladimir Putin (the thug) and disrespect Obama (“thoughtful” and, therefore “timid”)

I’m personally waiting anxiously for the day when America “wakes up” and votes these republicans out of office en masse.  Please don’t give me the “but democrats” argument – because, I’ll likely agree with you.  However, as for most of my adult lifetime, it’s voting for the better of two unpleasant options.  I do believe the democrats could be forced to move back to the left if “we the people” would – after getting rid of today’s republican party – turn our efforts on those in the democratic party who are prostituting themselves to the corporate money and interests.  With the right wing corporate interests controlling out “liberal media” and the unlimited ability to throw money at elections – via Citizens United – all of my idealistic “dreams” become less possible with each successive election cycle.  If republicans succeed in gaining total control of Congress in 2014. things could get a lot worse (for “we the people”) (also, keep in mind, our “liberal media” has been brainwashing Americans for 30+ years now on how deplorable “liberals” are.  I know many 40 to 50 year olds who’ve never heard anything else)

The media is supposed to be the “fourth estate” in America – that is, the ultimate check on the power of government.  “We the people” have allowed the “liberal media” to be controlled by corporate interests with profit motives instead of patriotic motives.  Our “reporters” have become, in many instances, more like entertainers.  And, too many of them, in my view, will say whatever they’re told – because that’s a requirement of keeping the job.  I wrote back when the so-called “Patriot Act” was passed right after 9/11 that “it’s easier to give up rights than to get them back.”  We are seeing the reality of that every day in America.  Our country is a military pariah around the world, our government is dysfunctional and corrupted by huge amounts of money from a few “billionaires,” our government is spying on her own people, and it now seems acceptable in the “liberal media” for one side to focus on the destruction of the other in a dishonest push for power, and – all the while – MILLIONS of Americans either believe the lies or feel helpless to stop this.  (think about how many issues had HUGE majorities of American’s support – like the public option, for example, or allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, or get out of the wars, I could go on and on – and, yet Congress is unable to act in the public interest)  I firmly believe that until our “liberal media” becomes beholden to “we the people” instead of the corporate “masters” America will continue its decline!