CAROL - The Weekly Standard is pretty much everything that you said it is. It is usually dismissive of corporate fraud - "business is business" - and regularly scoffs at state and federal regulatory efforts to rein in corporate power and to try and keep the playing field somewhat level. The Weekly Standard sneers are consumer protection and corporate responsibility on a pretty regular basis.
So, when it produces a piece that pulls the curtain off the collusion between city government and marketers of the "red light camera" technology, I was surprised! The reporting gives ample evidence that this technology is cynically marketed as "saving lives" but in reality is sold as easy money for both the marketer and the cash strapped cities. It is no coincidence that the use of "fast yellows" is essential to generating the big money that this technology can generate. And, rather than using the cameras at high risk intersections they are placed at high traffic intersections to catch more people and generate more fines rather than reduce accidents. I have read or heard nothing that suggests the reporting done in this story is either inaccurate or incomplete. Jim Bernstein Fulton -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Becker Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 7:43 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Mpls] Red Light Cameras Jim Bernstein wrote: > I strongly second Chris's position! The analysis done by the Weekly > Standard is quite an eye opener! If Minneapolis is going to adopt this > strategy, we need to make sure that the red-light camera scam being used > in other cities is not repeated in Minneapolis! It should be noted that the "Weekly Standard" is an ultra-conservative right wing newspaper known for its biased pseudo-journalism. It is owned by Rupert Murdoch and is perceived to be one of the leading neo-conservative papers, well read by the Bush administration. It does not support itself through its own revenues but are funded by Murdoch as an outlet for the neo-conservative movement rhetoric. It was one of the major outlets for the untruths about the Clinton administration made up by the Arkansas Project along with the "American Spectator" and other neo-conservative "pseudo-newspapers". Its current editors are William Kristol, who is also Chair for the Project for the New American Century which basically laid out for the Bush administration a plan for the United States taking over the whole planet through military force if necessary and which laid the plans for the invasion of Iraq long before there ever was 9/11. (This was Project Censored Number One censored story of 2004) He has also served on the board of the Bradley Foundation, the leading funder of the neoconservative media outlets like the "Weekly Standard" and the Minnesota Center for the American Experiment. The other editor is Fred Barnes who is on the board of the Institute on Religion and Democracy which is working to merge Christianity and the United States government, also founded by the Bradley Foundation. References. http://www.projectcensored.org/publications/2004/1.html http://www.newamericancentury.org/ http://www.mediatransparency.org/people/bill_kristol.htm http://www.mediatransparency.org/search_results/info_on_any_recipient.ph p?recipientID=174 http://www.ird-renew.org/ I would also recommend for anyone who wants to read about the neo-conservative movement "Blinded by the Right" by David Brock. Caveat emptor. Carol Becker Longfellow REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
