-Caveat Lector- CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN ==================== (CNNS, 04/29/99) -- The Cable News Network (CNN) broadcast a "town meeting" this evening, from Champaign, Illinois, a town also, coincidentally, home of the Conspiracy Nation News Service (CNNS). This editor was not in attendance at the Ted Turner Town Meeting, though if he had been invited he'd have been glad to attend. As reported in the April 29, 1999 issue of the local newspaper, the Champaign-Urbana News Gazette, "admission was by invitation only, so that CNN could choose a diverse audience representing the community." This means that the Cable News Network was selective as to who was allowed into their "town meeting." "No riff-raff allowed," the internationally viewed news network seemed to say. And, hypocritically, while the Turner Network excluded spontaneous representation, host Jeff Greenfield, in the very same broadcast, lamented the question of high school "out castes" and (seemingly) protested the existence of such. "Isn't it awful," moaned Greenfield, "that high schools are filled with outcasts." That was one of the themes of the Turner Town Meeting: that high school society regretably has its fringe elements, its "nerds," who are shunned by the dominant high school cliques. "What a pity," Greenfield seemed to say, even while his very own Ted Turner society of corporate journalism had automatically excluded any fringe elements from its mislabeled "town meeting." But even with Cable News Network's pre-arranged selectivity (nowhere mentioned in the broadcast as a background to their fake "populist" "town meeting"), the local yokels didn't come across too badly. Thoughtful comments were heard, expressing fears of increasing "fascism." But even then, the Turner Thought Goons had pre-arranged the set-up, bringing in selected survivors of the Littleton, Colorado massacre to function as "wise elders," called upon if necessary to belittle Champaign's common sense, were it to get out of hand. Thus was CNN's representation of a "town meeting" sabotaged from the very start. This town hasn't seen so much excitement since January 28, 1998, when Bill Clinton came to town and his plane got stuck in the mud at the local airport. One of the locals managed to get in that, in their home, they've not had television for the past 10 years. This, not because they can't afford it, but rather because they feel, as a family, they're better off not watching TV. Visibly uncomfortable, Greenfield offered a lame joke that his bosses at CNN wouldn't be happy to hear that. But hardly anyone laughed at Greenfield's quip. The people of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois who did pass through the CNN "thought detectors" and managed to slip into the "town meeting" gave a valiant effort to get their voices heard in spite of the constant commercial interruptions, the Littleton, Colorado "wise elders" oversight, the Jeff Greenfield steering committee, and the probable "plants" within the audience itself. In Dow Mossman's book, "The Stones of Summer," a main character explains that, "I think we're so goddamn beautiful out here, with nothing to do, that if we hadn't effectively learned to say 'screw it,' we'd be as crazy as Dawes Williams himself." We are so goddamn beautiful out here, with nothing to do. Then, the circus comes to town. Then the circus leaves town. (Who can forget the circus?) Jeff Greenfield can forget the town, but the town can never forget the CNN "town meeting." On the CNN Thursday night circus, the young man with the weird hairdo (a townie) hemmed and hawed, then muttered, "Aw shucks, why the fascism?" His mom added about him, "Never mind the hairdo. He's kind to animals." A sleepy night for Jeff Greenfield. A major event for this town. "Screw it," says this editor. -- CNNS (Conspiracy Nation News Service) is an INDEPENDENT news outlet, not owned by anyone. (But of course, we would say that, wouldn't we?) BEWARE THE CFR! BEWARE THE CIA! BEWARE THE KNIGHTS! http://www.shout.net/~bigred/cn.html http://www.shout.net/~bigred/cnns.html DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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