-Caveat Lector- Ether Zone The Intelligent Alternative News And Opinion Source Cosmic Comentary - http://CosmicRose.tripod.com/CCC.html Heh Heh Heh!! LOL! Hear Hear! Steve M. http://etherzone.com/ WHO SUCKS THIS WEEK? CNN FALLING, AOL GALLING By: Nathan Porter "They send out legions of brainwashed reporters like a million marching ants ready to devour the carcass of a roach called truth. No longer is it merely a question of objectivity. CNN has moved beyond a lack of objectivity into disinformation: dispensing information they know to be wrong as a weapon against political foes." Me-August 11, 2000. As the mighty ax of indiscriminate mass firings continues to bloody the waters at CNN, many find it difficult to remain unemotional about the human consequences of such a situation. Not me. With a speed rivaling the downfall of the Soviet Union, or worse yet, House Speaker* Bob Livingston, CNN has fallen and hopefully won't get up. Like the Soviet Union, CNN is an evil empire collapsing of its own self-indulgence. Every step of the way, the people at CNN could have reported the news in a fair and balanced way. Instead, they chose to report the news as they wish it were, particularly when covering politics. Despite the emergence of new cable news competitors and in the face of plummeting ratings, CNN chose to hire producers and put on the air a collection of reporters whose liberal bias could hardly be overstated. Like the Soviet Union, it was those at the top who ran CNN into the ground while the little people suffered. Therefore, it is no surprise to me that the people who brought us Time Magazine, America Online, and Both Sides With Jesse Jackson are managing the wave of layoffs much like the Kremlin would've dealt with TASS 20 years ago. The shock of CNN's massive firings has given way to outrage over the manner in which they were conducted. "INHUMAN RESOURCES" charged one news headline. "CNN TELLS STAFFERS TO GET OUT; GUARD ESCORTS, COMPUTER SHUT DOWNS, TEARS!" screams the headline at The Drudge Report. "Insiders describe a company in turmoil, with staffers watching as their shattered colleagues return from the Human Resources Department in tears - and then nervously wondering if they're next." Though I'm delighted with CNN's downturn, I truly do not wish financial or personal hardship on any CNN employee (except for Tucker Carlson, Greta Van Susteren and Bill Press, of course). I wish only the best for those at CNN who fear they are next to be axed. For some I wish a personal heaven, for others something a little warmer. My wish for Candy Crowley is that she wins the Oscar for her film debut in the John Candy Story. I wish Bernie Shaw success...as the first black Elvis impersonator to headline at the Cherokee Indian owned Chief Talking Ass Lounge and Casino, located in Tunica, Mississippi. It is my wish that Judy Woodruff find her true calling as a female wrestler (no biting, Judy). I hope that Jeff Greenfield finds success at ABC, where he is forced to remove the layers of grease covering Peter Jennings' skin. It is my fondest wish that Greta Van Susteren be forced to spend the rest of her life as law clerk to Barbara Olsen. My wish for Tucker Carlson is that he be damned to a life as Margaret Carlson's "house boy," the highlight of his day occurring when he massages Margaret's bunion-laden feet with his bare hands. And for Bill Press, my special wish is that he be damned to a life as Tucker Carlson's "house boy," the highlight of his day occurring when he massages Tucker's blister-laden ass with his bare hands. AOL Galling Look at them! Call me old fashioned, but I'm a tad leery of these corporate types who act like they work for Jim Jones, Inc. - "Pass the Kool-Aid, darling. We've just taken over the world." There is something eerily cultish about a corporation with a vision of how the world should be, and a plan that takes all of us on their journey to Utopia, whether we want to go or not. Despite the current suffering at CNN, the new AOLTIMEWARNERTEDCNNTURNER Mega Corporation is destined to become a force of evil not seen since Dr. No. CNN had Ted Turner, but AOL et.al has Gerald Levin, and Ted Turner has nothing on Gerald Levin (Anti-Christ alert**). Gerald Levin is the chief of AOL/Time Warner, and his goal in life is the creation of a global giant - or monster - in media and entertainment. He was the force behind the Time-Warner merger, and their subsequent merger with Turner Broadcasting System, and now he heads the whole AOL/Time/Warner/Turner Corporatorship. Last week, Levin questioned the Bush administration's commitment to fighting cancer. "I want to know why we're talking about building a missile defense system," he declared, "and not talking about doing more stem cell research." And I want to know why this high-powered CEO is such an ever bloomin', clay-brained, bum-bailey? What the hell does SDI have to do with stem cell research? Don't get me wrong, stem cell research is a complicated issue and I hardly have the answers. However, it is not complicated disagreements over bioethics that make Gerald Levin's remarks anathema to me, but it is his gratuitous slam against SDI as the enemy of medical research and his insinuation that a failure to unconditionally embrace stem cell research signifies President Bush's unwillingness to adequately fund medical research at all. The truth is, despite his personal opposition to stem cell research Bush has called for a medical moon shot, proposing to double funding to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by 2003 and by $67 billion over the next ten years. But the best Gerald Levin can do at a cancer research fundraiser is to take a cheap shot at Bush and missile defense. I'm sure all the Hollywood types in attendance were very impressed. While many relish in the troubles besetting CNN, we must remain vigilant against CEO's like Levin, and Turner before him, who use their money and power not just to influence politicos - all corporations do that - but also to control the evolution of society in a manner to their liking. Disease is one of the great threats to society and spending federal dollars to combat it is wise and prudent. But as surely as disease can kill millions so can nuclear missiles, and demanding that research to defend against one must be done at the expense of the other is puzzling to me. To anyone who says a missile defense system cannot be built, I say Wright Brothers. To all who say it costs too much to defend against missiles, I say Nuclear Pearl Harbor. I wish more than anything that we lived in a world where the reality of nuclear annihilation wasn't possible, but we don't. So why do some find it so difficult to agree in principle that given the ability to defend ourselves against such weapons we should do so? It is not as though as our defense we are relying on the threat of mutual assured destruction. SDI improves the prospects for nuclear peace in our time, it does not threaten them. Why would the CEO of a company like AOL et.al be so interested in discrediting a missile defense system? Is it because SDI makes Russia and China nervous? Levin considers China's Jiang Zemin to be his good friend, and he has worked to include China in the WTO. In 1999, Levin praised Jiang Zemin as he presented the Communist leader with a bust of Abraham Lincoln; this occurring at the same time Zemin banned all sales of Time magazine from China's newsstands. Did Zemin's shot across the bow have an affect on his good friend Levin? Does Zemin have any influence over Levin? When Levin speaks out against missile defense, is he carrying Zemin's water? Those at AOLTIMEWARNERTEDCNNTURNER have a high opinion of themselves and their company's role in the world. Said CEO Levin, "This [AOL/TimeWarner] is not just about money. This is about making a better world for people." AOL's Steve Case said, "We have an unbelievable opportunity to really make a difference, not just in terms of the services people use, but also in terms of the kind of impact we can have on society." While some worry that AOL/TimeWarner's first impact on society is burdening the nation's unemployment rolls, I worry more about what impact on society - American society in particular - their opposition to missile defense will have. And what will AOL et.al and Gerry Levin do the day the missiles fly? My guess is that like Dr. No, Levin and his corporatorship sycophants will be sitting somewhere on his private island, surrounded by his own missile defense shield, while the rest of us are vaporized as we discuss the status of stem cell research. My friends, that day will suck but failing to prepare for it will suck more, and those who keep us from preparing for it suck the most. That means you, Mr. Levin. * Rep. Bob Livingston, R-La.- has the distinction of being the first Republican Speaker of the House never to serve as Speaker of the House. His tenure as Speaker-Elect was a mere 30 days. Resigning his seat in Congress because of the disclosure of an extra-marital affair, Livingston was chosen to replace noted adulterer Newt Gingrich, who resigned in disgrace after being blamed for nearly losing control of the House during the 1998 election, a setback that was blamed on the Republican's role in impeaching the all-time greatest adulterer in American political history. Asking President Clinton to follow his example, Livingston resigned in a speech on the House floor and forever earned the title Real American Hero. Henry Clay would be proud. ** Anti-Christ alert -- the Anti-Christ alert is used to notify people of a person who thinks they are God, such as Ted Turner or U2's Bono. Mail this article to a friend(s) in two clicks! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Nathan Porter is a recovering trial lawyer and a freelance writer. He is a bi-weekly columnist Ether Zone. Nathan can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] We invite you to visit his website: www.bsnn.net Published in the February 5, 2001 issue of Ether Zone. Copyright � 2001 Ether Zone (http://etherzone.com). Reposting permitted with this message intact. We invite your comments on this article in our forum! >> _________ EcoNews Service - Always online for Ecology, Consciousness & Universe Exopolitics. EcoNews http://www.ecologynews.com/ Prague http://mujweb.cz/www/ecologynews/ mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/Vancouver, BC V6M 1V8 <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
