Jerry Tenuto: 'America's one-story-a-day news channels'

(Dumbing Down For The West Wing Staff)

Jerry Tenuto, Lone Star Iconoclast

Gloriosky! Hip hip hooray! Cheerio!

Hostilities must have ceased in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as between
Israel and Hezbollah!

The only thing we have to fear right now is fear itself.

Or, more accurately, the fear of fear.

Not to mention somewhere between 21 and 50 possible al Qaeda members
involved in a plot to board various airliners at London's Heathrow Airport
bound for the U.S.A., then blow them up at some point hither with a mixture
of liquids carried on by separate individuals.

Wowzer! Even the blokes at Albert R. Broccoli's Eon Productions - the good
folks who bring us James Bond/Agent 007 at the cinema - didn't see this one
coming. And for the past 42 years they've entranced audiences worldwide with
a remarkable track record of intricate plot devices plus nefarious terrorist
methodologies.

Always avenged, if not previously foiled, the intrepid modern-day equivalent
of a Knight of the Round Table, Commander Bond of the Royal Navy never
failed to save the World.

A tad of Bond movie trivia, if you will: Fans of the 007 films have a
mixture of Italian and healthy diet to thank for them. Upstart producer
Albert R. Broccoli, during a brief encounter with the head of United
Artists, convinced him to back a film version of Ian Fleming's novel "Dr.
No" for the whopping sum of $1 million. After 20 years performing a variety
of jobs in the movie business, "Cubby" was now on his way.

Teamed up with Harry Salzman, the first choice for their newly formed EON
Productions was "Thunderball." (EON was an acronym for "Everything Or
Nothing.") Considering the limited budget, it was probably better all around
that their first choice wasn't available. The pair went on to produce a
total of nine Bond films through "The Man with the Golden Gun" in 1974.

You may think you recognize Broccoli's name, and you'd be correct. The first
generation Italian-American hailed from a family of horticulturalists who
crossed cauliflower with rabe, thus developing the vegetable that carries
their name. Despite the lucrative nature of family veggie ownership, "Cubby"
left the farm for Hollywood.

And the rest is motion picture and cultural history.

But, I digress...

This entire day, there has been nary a word nor a picture of anything on any
newscast I've caught other than the failed plot to blow up commercial
airliners between London and destinations in the United States.

Therefore, it must be safe to assume that all's quiet on the Middle Eastern
fronts. But I was fooled by CNN, et al, in the past few weeks with
shell-to-shell coverage of the new Israel-Hezbollah war, and the tossing
aside of the old wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For what reason would American news services choose to continue to cover
hostile environments where Americans are fighting and dying in unpopular,
losing causes, anyway?

Also, who gives a damn if those selfish Jews and terror-loving Muslims blow
each other to smithereens?

There's nothing like a foiled terrorist plot combined with airliners to get
the old adrenaline pumping!

So, first let me send out a big sigh of thankful relief to Britain's MI5.
Jolly good show, people! Where would the United Kingdom be without you?

Our FBI likes to crow about how vastly superior an operation it is to any
investigative organization in the World, but frankly the political antics
and micromanagement of far too many layers of toadies only creates an agency
fraught with ineffectiveness.

The Brits, on the other hand, are smoother and more accurate when it comes
to nabbing the evildoers. Granted, their home turf covers a considerably
smaller mass of land than our Nation, and the population is only about 20%%
of the U.S. However, the differences aren't in the sizes.

The law enforcement agencies of the British government are just awfully
damned good at their jobs. They go about their business with an innate
aplomb. These are not people who go blasting into buildings like Sherman
through Atlanta. They know how to be patient, sly and stealth.

These folks can make arrests of 21 terrorists or wannabes without firing a
shot.

Not only that, but apparently the MI5 types play nice with Scotland Yard and
the local constabulary.

So, with the success of the British lawkeepers and investigators - who knew
about this plot for months and calmly kept tabs on these schlemiels - what
does the U.S. Government do?

Well, instead of praising our friends across the pond the first thing
Homeland Insecurity Chief Screwup Michael Chertoff did was to try to lay
claim to squelching this massive effort at murdering innocent Westerners.

And a shot at those 72 virgins.

Do you think any of these suicide murderers have ever taken a mathematics
class? It's a cinch none of them have the foggiest concept of census polling
and population grids or actuarial charts.

The statistical impossibility is there simply cannot be 72 women per each
young man who "martyrs" himself. Even among Muslims, it's highly unlikely of
those 72 all would be of the virginal variety. Really, the fanatical
families that buy into this insanity only murder those daughters and sisters
who are passionate with someone they love outside of happily wedded bliss to
a complete stranger - the obligatory arranged marriage for property and
money, like chattel.

This is how I figure the true lowdown: Every murderous suicide "martyr"
doesn't rate 72 virgins. He gets a lottery number for a chance at the only
72 virgins Allah has hanging around.

Now, have you ever asked yourself why these 72 individuals are virgins?

Not only that, but I've never heard anyone specifically say that those 72
virgins were actually of the female gender.

The master plan is some time around the end of eternity, say the 12th of
Never, after the true believers of Islam have eradicated all infidels from
the face of the Earth, a grand drawing will be held. The "martyr" with the
lucky lottery number will then get himself 72 virgins - if he still desires
them.

Considering that all the infidels have been slaughtered.

Bottom line on the promise of 72 virgins for slaughtering innocents: No
religion would ever issue a pass through the Pearlies for committing murder,
neither will there be any blissful reward.

Back to Chertoff and his attempt to usurp the spotlight away from the real
brains behind today's operation:

Well, even before the British authorities had pointed a finger at any
organization, good ol' Mikey was laying blame right on the welcome mat at
the al Qaeda cave ingress.

Of course, the U.S. felt the need to expediently export "far superior" air
marshals and FBI agents to assist those pitifully inept MI5 and Scotland
Yard chaps and women. Like, what would the Limeys ever do without good, old
Yankee know-how and muscle?

And, in a true case of closing the barn door after the cow gets out, the
terror alert on our side of the Atlantic instantly shot up to RED!

Omygoodness (if I may borrow a phrase from Grandpappy Rumsfeld), we're all
gonna die!

At least, that's what I was under the impression "condition red" signified.

Now, at present I would hardly consider this plot, nipped in the bud in
England, as a "red" situation.

Even at its worst the condition might rate an "orange," perhaps.

Then again, the real danger comes into play when that nincompoop Chertoff
sticks his nose into British security operations.

As for terrorism on American shores, one cell is quickly drying up and being
put out of commission. Due to his own greed, hubris and smug
self-righteousness, "Smiler" Tom DeLay has not only shot himself in the foot
but it appears as though he's cost the Republican Party the Congressional
seat in Sugar Land, Texas.

"The Hammer" thought he was going to be slick and run in the primary against
somebody who might have a chance in November to help his party. By his own
words, however, Tommy Boy felt he had an entitlement to that House seat, as
if it was his own personal property.

DeLay must have figured that by moving to Virginia he could escape the wrath
of the good people he hornswoggled in Sugar Land, and the laws he broke in
the State of Texas... all the while spewing epithets about how Jesus Christ
is on his side.

Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supremes put the kibosh on DeLay's hope of
hand-picking his own successor by upholding the Texas laws which state that
the winner of the primary has to be the person on the ballot, and by
registering to vote in Virginia ol' Tommy Boy negated his eligibility to be
a candidate.

It'll be downhill from on out here for "Smiler" DeLay. He might want to
consider a hunting trip with Dark Lord the Dick Cheney, or making an
appointment with Kenneth Lay's heart specialist.

Tommy could write Duke Cunningham a letter and see if he's got enough space
for a new roommate with his own personal altar, a very large Bible, and a
ridiculously oversized ego.

Thank you, Tom DeLay, for being so full of yourself and overtly dishonest.

There is hope for real, true Patriots and public servants who are in races
to do something positive for their neighbors, constituents and America - not
to greedily line their pockets with ill-gotten lucre.

We may also hold out hope for true news without corporate bias. Deep cable
news is making its way into our homes.

Maverick billionaire Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA,
owns HDNet, and he is positioning it to be a voice with no apologies or
allegiances to anyone. Cuban has already set up shop in 65 cities, with HD
cameras in place, ready to go.

On the deep cable bandwagon are veteran newsmen Ted Koppel and Dan Rather.
Koppel has been working with Discovery Channel only the past month or so,
but he loves it. He finds the freedom and lack of forced agenda refreshing,
plus people around the World - most notably in the Mid East - respect
Discovery.

Rather is chompin' at the bit to get down to business in the next level of
television.

I, for one, can't wait for a return to honesty and integrity in television
news. There's just not enough Lou Dobbs to go around.

Yes, I do know people have been fighting and dying - some euphemistically
and innocently as "collateral damage" - throughout the Mid East. And we
have, for the largest part, King George XLIII and Dark Lord the Dick to
blame for moving the world ever closer to Armageddon.

Lest we forget...

Shalom, everybody - everywhere.

Jerry Tenuto is an erstwhile Philosopher and sometime Educator. A veteran
with seven years of service in the U.S. Army, he holds a BS and MA in
Communications from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Depending
upon your taste in political stew, you can either blame or thank Jerry for
his weekly "Out Of The Blue" feature in The Lone Star Iconoclast. Visit his
blog Blue State View at illinoiscentral.blogspot.com

Copyright (c) 2006, The Lone Star Iconoclast

Source: The Lone Star Iconoclast
http://www.lonestaricon.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=415&z=53

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"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson