John Stewart, CNN and Fox

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

In recent news (old news by now), both CNN and Fox News committed a gross blunder in reporting, by failing to read the whole document released by the US Supreme Court.

For many minutes, both new channels erroneously reported that SCOTUS had struck down the centerpoint of Obama's health care bill, the individual mandate.   Fox corrected itself a bit before CNN finally realized their error.

Of course Stewart had a boatload of fun with this.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-june-28-2012/cnn---fox-news-report-supreme-court-decision

Sorry to those folk in the UK and elsewhere, I don't think the above link will work...

The following parody was also quite good:  http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-june-28-2012/the-best-f--king-news-team-ever-reports-on-the-supreme-court-s-health-care-ruling

[Swatopluk]

It works here, surprisingly.
Actually, it seems to be mainly the Brits these days that block their content* to foreigners.

*media, don't know about streaming inner organs over the net

[Griffin NoName]

Does not work here.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Does not work here.

I'm sorry.

What the big thing was, the US Supreme Court finally saw the arguments claiming Obama's health care package, specifically the part that required everyone to carry insurance or face a tax-fine.   SCOTUS ruled that it was fully constitutional, as Congress has the right to tax it's citizens, granted by right of past precedent and the Constitution itself.

But the minority dissent was presented in the first 5 pages or so of the brief.   

Both Fox and CNN got their copy of the brief at the same time, and CNN beat Fox by 8 seconds or so, in crowing that (according to a too-quick scan of the first few pages) SCOTUS ruled the part of Obama's health package that required individuals to carry insurance, was unconstitutional (and gave reasons under commerce rules).

It took Fox several minutes to recant, during which they jumped up and down like cheerleaders hopped up on meth.   CNN took much longer to recant, but was also quite celebratory beforehand.

It was a sad day for news journalism-- not that anyone was surprised at Fox's mistake-- they frequently and deliberately make similar "errors" about other issues, only "recanting" in the barest of homages to the truth.

But CNN has garnered a black eye that will last for quite a while I suspect.

Of course, Jon Stewart made much fun of both networks-- using clips from their own broadcast to hammer their error home. 

The irony was delicious.

Sadly, the worshipers of Fox News will somehow see this gross violation of the truth by Fox, as magically Obama's fault...

[Roland Deschain]

But in the eyes of Faux News, their contemporaries, and their followers, EVERYTHING is Obama's fault, that commie, socialist, Nazi, muslim, non-USAian, USAian-hating, baby-killing, religion-hating, fascist, sycophantic, economy-breaking, USAian Dream-hating, non-white person.

[pieces o nine]

I'm tangent-ing from the original (but related) topic to look at what's new in murkan politics. First off, we have Jon Hubbard (R-Arkansas) singing the praises of slavery in bringing "blessings in disguise" to what he clearly considers an inferior, undeserving sector of humanity. It should be ... interesting -- not too mention nauseating -- to watch the contortions dissenting Repubs will be forced into in order to provide a united Conservative front. And what lengths Fox will stoop to in order to present this as the pinnacle of clear, courageous thinking. Related, Charlie Fuqua (R-Arkansas) musingly supports putting capital punishment for disrespectful children on the nation's law books, in order to bring our Christian Nation into closer alignment with Leviticus, and to scare the bejesus out of kids who are not sufficiently respectful to their parents. Their comments are shedding new light on Loy Mauch (R-Asrkansas) (does anyone else see a trend here?) who wrote a series of white supremicist letters to a local paper from 2000-2009.

Paul Broun (R-Georgia), who sits on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, mourns, "All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and Big Bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of hell. And it's lies to try to keep me and all the folks who are taught that from understanding that they need a savior." at a fundraising dinner. We recently learned that Todd "Legitimate Rape" Akin (R-Missouri) warned in a 2008 speech that our culture is "giving abortions to women who are not actually pregnant"  (go back and read that again) -- a crime he equated to cheating on taxes. Apparently he forgot to mention eating shellfish or wearing two kinds of fibers. He is also a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

These examples were culled from just 2 days of news cycle. I cannot understand people who actively support these individuals, but am even more dumbfounded by those who are repulsed by these statements, but will vote for them anyway because they have (R) after their names. This poster in the Chamomile Tea Party thread expresses my current views perfectly:


I remember the olden days when I enjoyed the considering pros and cons of each candidate, and the letter next to their names was neither a factor nor a red flag.       

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

I wonder if such outlandish declarations have become so common place that aren't news anymore. In reality it scares me to death, when was the last time loud sectors of a society started to make frequent hateful speech common place, so much that society itself desensitized to the vitriol?

How long 'till we have concentration camps for the poor?

[Aggie]

How long 'till we have concentration camps for the poor?

  Poverty is a sign that you've somehow failed to capitalize (pun intended) on the American Dream. I'm half-surprised that compulsory contraception hasn't been re-introduced in the US.  I suppose those at the bottom are still quite capable of sending what little they have up the pipe to the top, especially since the chance of keeping any money for long-term self improvement instead of meeting basic daily needs becomes smaller with every additional child.  Having masses of poor (and undereducated) folks still benefits PepsiCo and various church organizations, I suppose. :/

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

The same people that advocates the freedom of corporations to do Every-F*&%ing-Thing-They-Want are against contraception. Part of the unholy alliance with the fundie churches.

Personally I think that contraception should be as close to mandatory as possible regardless, but then again I'm neo-Maltusian and I have this odd desire to keep at least a bit of the natural world/species for future generations, you know, that completely unreasonable idea that other creatures have the right to exist in this planet.

But hey, economists are worried that populations are supposed to plateau in 50-100 years and then this mythical idea of perennial growth would be unfeasible as if more mouths to feed with the same pool of resources would increase the potential for economic growth (read: pillage and plunder by the 0.01% of the population).

They better come up with a way to terraform and colonize Mars soon, or their beloved growth will only be in human rights violations.

[Aggie]

But hey, economists are worried that populations are supposed to plateau in 50-100 years and then this mythical idea of perennial growth would be unfeasible as if more mouths to feed with the same pool of resources would increase the potential for economic growth (read: pillage and plunder by the 0.01% of the population).

Part of the idea in first-world countries with sub-replacement fertility rates is to import the best, the brightest or the wealthiest to compensate for lack of natural population growth. Canada's a big importer of millionaires who don't mind loaning the Canadian government $800,000 interest free for five years . If you are worth $1.6 million and can let the government hold on to half of it, you're in (they've recently put the program on hold to review it; I suspect the price will go up significantly).

More practically, we steal pharmacists and doctors trained in South Africa to work up here (and nurses from the Philippines, I suspect).  We have no doctors because the US pays Canadian doctors better than we do, and because we don't fund enough spaces for medical students. Although, I've heard that once you are in, they make it hard to flunk out.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

.... Although, I've heard that once you are in, they make it hard to flunk out.

Question:

What do you call a person who graduates medical school in the bottom 1%?


















































... wait for it ...



















You call that person "Doctor".

[Aggie]

 

I'll have to tell that one to my sister's boyfriend the next time I see him; that's where I get my inside scoop on the medical system.  He's a South African doctor.