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John Quiggin 
I find it reassuring to see the news that Sydney security guard Karen Brown was acquitted. The tragedy would have been compounded if she was made to serve time for what was in essence an all too human defensive response to a vicious attack. No doubt it is all difficult for the family of the deceased individual (as well as for Karen) however natural justice seems to have prevailed.
Good to see there was sanity on the jury.
She should never have been charged.
These are excerpts from an article that appeared in today’s (4/8) Wall Street Journal, US edition. I would link to it, but the WSJ is subscription only. In any case, this is so classic, it had to be shared. God love our disinformative, disingenuous and hopelessly-spun world and the gullible ninnies that play right into its hands. Speaking of, note the irony of the propaganda’s imagery…
It would appear those that “believe” global warming is a hoax seem to think the best method to pursuade people to their view is to perpetrate a few of their own. Or perhaps this is a good bit more cynical than that…
Thanks, Majorajam. It appears that today’s “Western” media consumer now has to be as sceptical and paranoid as the Russian reader of Pravda in the 1950s learned to be.
I wonder what the WSJ would have to say about copyright, fair use and you quoting the entire article into the public domain.
This remind me of the great line from the Clinton spoof (made by Clinton) in which he recounts the things he did while president and includes helping Al Gore invent the Internet.
In all the coverage of Mel Gibson’s fall from grace I have yet to see anyone comment on the fact that last year he was reported to be negotiating with Michael Chrichton for the film rights to “Climate of Fear” – something which was well received on some right-wing discussion sites.
Presumably if this goes ahead the likes of Andrew Bolt will find themselves with deeply divided loyalties. It makes sense however – the sort of person who can believe “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world” is also capable of believing that tens of thousands of climate researchers are actively faking data to convince people the world is warming up. The question is why some people who see through the first ridiculous idea hasve no problem with the latter.
We’ll all have to be as alert and aware as Terry Lane now Marjoram.
“…Nancy Snow, a communications professor at California State University, Fullerton, viewed the penguin video and calls it a lesson in “Propaganda 101.â€? It contains no factual information, but presents a highly negative image of the former vice president, she says. The purpose of such images is to harden the views of those who already view Mr. Gore negatively, Dr. Snow says.”
Jeebus that’s all a bit bloody precious. Hasn’t Nancy got anything better to do with her tenure? Since you raised the video issue here it now has 59001 views including yours truly and if any professor thinks I’m gunna view that video as anything more than undergrad humour, it’s time they left the hallowed halls of academia and pronto. Basically Nancy my dear, I don’t care if it was commissioned by old Osama himself , because I’ve seen worse toons taking the mickey out of pollies and the like in my daily paper. Osama would back me up on that too. Sweet Jesus, get a grip of your tinfoil hats folks, because the penguins with the hypnotic evil eyes are coming to get us all.
Here’s some food for thought on the current Lebanon crisis.
http://web.macam.ac.il/~arnon/Int-ME/water/THE%20LITANI%20RIVER.htm
Having once worked in tax policy, I might note that we always were disappointed if a measure designed to close a loophole wasn’t greeted by protestations of unfairness, arbitrariness, overmighty public servants, etc etc.
The reaction was how you knew you’d hit the target.
To the earlier comment: We have rasied the tempature of the planet. Even the average bloke down the pub knows it. Truth will out.
Terje,
Not sure how you get from paragraph one to paragraph other, but then I’ve read your views on monetary dynamics and realize there are some things you keep to yourself. Planet Terje. In any case, what I’ve pasted is not the whole article, more like half. As for what Dow Jones would think about it, my guess is that they would up and file for Chapter 11, knowing that a small audience comprised mainly of Australians weren’t going to feel the need to buy yesterday’s US edition of their paper.
observa,
That’s remarkably obtuse. First of all, the “mickey” was aimed as much at the people who are persuaded by “An Inconvenient Truth” as its creator. Secondly, undergrad humor, coloring books- does it matter? You ever seen a propaganda poster from WWII? They’re about as subtle as a bat to the head. Propaganda need only be as sophisticated as the simpletons that are taken in by it, (present company excluded… ehem…).
The issue is that the largest corporation on the planet- well established as funding “scientific research” regarding this very issue- commissioned and covertly marketed evocative imagery disguised as grass roots with the explicit intent of fomenting negative opinions about a person and the science of global warming. That’s called manipulating the masses, just fyi, and when it happens to companies, it’s called securities fraud.
So, by all means laugh it up. Just realize the joke’s on you.
The world’s largest corporation is Wal-Mart. What scientific research do they fund, and what is their interest in global warming? I can’t wait to find out.
Does the tallest man in the world play basketball?
Majorjam,
“Planet Terje” is an epic movie in which giant Terje’s land on earth and eat all the penguins. I am surprised that you have not seen it. Some think it is a propaganda movie designed to make people scared of Terje but the truth actually reveals a much more sinister conspiracy. What interest do you have in promoting the movie?
Regards,
Terje.
p.s. I love that Internet spoof called “this land is my land” in which kerry and bush slag off at each other. “your a liberal weiner, your a right wing nut job …”. It must be hard for those that can’t see the funny side of serious stuff.
I agree that Karen Brown should not have been charged. She was working as an armed guard and was violently assaulted by a thief. What a nightmare for this brave woman who was only doing her job.
“your a right wing nut job” should have been “you’re a right wing nut job” and likewise for the slag off regarding Kerry,
Terje, But he won 3 purple hearts!
Tom,
You can get a purple heart for scratching yourself. It is not a recognition of bravery, but of being wounded.
Andrew
If you share my good fortune of never having been in combat, perhaps you might like to wander over to wikipedia and have a look at the extensive criteria for being awarded a purple heart. Then perhaps you can regale me with your tales of scratching related derring-do from the sofa.
Yobbo says:
Sorry, but according to Fortune, it actually is who Majorajam says it is.
DD, that reasoning is wrong (reply no. 9). If you had not got that reaction you would have known that you had not hit the target – but running it the other way around, taking evidence of pain as evidence of accuracy rather than as evidence of accuracy or of genuine harm, that is a hallmark of overmighty public servants (and, of course, of ones making mistaken tests of their own effectiveness).
If you did not think it possible you were mistaken, it could quite possibly have happened that you were indeed closing loopholes and were overweening. There is no incompatibility here. The objections, no matter how self serving, would have been true.
Tom,
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, “from cal-e-forn-ya …”. I suspect that those who have never seen it have misunderstood your reference to 3 purple hearts. God it was funny.
Regards,
Terje.
I finally watched the Gore penguin thing and it may be a spoof but it is also a boring spoof.
Here is the link to “This Land!” which spoofs the Bush/Kerry election campaign. You have to watch a 30 second ad first and then wait for it to load but I though it was worth it.
http://www.jibjab.com/JokeBox/JokeBox_JJOrig.aspx?movieid=65
So what do the Pure Economists think of this then?
Tuesday is looming as am important day in US politics.
The senate “primary” in Connecticut will probably see the outster of Senator Lieberman,by the anti-war Democrat Lamont …All the polls now favour Lamont
. One very funny aspect are two huge puppet-like figures on a large float,of Bush and Liberman kissing ! It derives from a photo taken at a function where they embraced each other.
The float has been taken all over the state ,and aroused much mirth(and anger!) from both sides
Lamont has made it a vote on “Holy Joe” Liberman’s pro-war stance,and his status as Bush ‘s favourite Democrat. and warrior !
The campaign ,for a safe Democrat seat,was enlivened by the suggestion that if he loses Liberman may quit the party and run as an independent.
Lamont is a fierce critic of those Democrats who support the war…like Hilary Clinton,whomsome have dubbed”The Warrior Princess” because of her strident pro-war,(and pro-Israel )positions
Indeed Hillary and Bill came up here to Connecticut to campaign for “Holy Joe” and got a big raspberry from most local Democrats.
Hillary has been wrapping herself in the flag(The Israeli one!) in recent days,perhaps wise ,as she is Senator for New York,which has almost as many Jewish voters as the 51st state itself.
The primary will have a dramatic effect on the Democratic Party,and enliven those inside it ,who really think that the war in Iraq IS the issue in November !
Of course if the Neo-Cons get their way we may well have a war with Iran by the first week in November when polling takes place…but perhaps that is Bush’s plan !
Yobo,
It’s touching to see that you’ve hewed to the Walmart brand, hyphen and all. Corporate will be proud. As to the substance of your comment, for lack of a better word, two times Walmart is worth 10% less than Exxon, in spite of the substantially higher multiple of the former. Courtesy SJ’s Fortune link, you will also find that Exxon has more annual sales and a larger balance sheet than does Walmart. All that said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Walmart management and board were also AGW denialists.
‘Propaganda need only be as sophisticated as the simpletons that are taken in by it’
Well Marjoram, I would have thought with all the deconstructionism that’s been pouring out of academia’s learned mouths for years and all those YR12 English exams on analysing book covers or videos, that intelligent, intellectual, media experts like Ms Nancy Snow (and laypersons like yourself) would be completely relaxed and comfortable that there are no such simpletons to be had anymore. Or are there Marjoram?
Ah yes Nancy Snow job, the ‘communications professor’ right here
http://www.nancysnow.com/bio.htm
Follow the links to her fav sites and check out the CV bristling with the usual crap that masquerades as serious intellectual rigour these days.
One of the usual suspects many of us might surmise as a member of the plethora of Departments of Socialislam that masquerade as detached, intelligent commentary in our universities nowadays. Another expert professor of the Terry Lane school of journalsim perhaps Marjoram? Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a scrap of proof that Exxon had commissioned this undergrad toon, rather than the conspiracy theory so beloved of modern Marxist academe? Ah silly you Observa, can’t you see the cover-up going down here-
“Although most advertisers want their identities known, Ms. Adair says Google will protect the identity of advertisers who want to remain anonymous, only releasing that information under a subpoena or court order.”
Never mind that under privacy laws these days, I can’t even deny or confirm a worker has worked for me, if another employer rings me to ask. The bigger the corporation, the more paranoid they have to be about divulging such information. That wouldn’t be because liberal progressives and barking mad Marxists driving such laws, had the most to hide about their private lives compared to we boring conservatives, now would it?
Yes but can’t you see that the toon came from the same ad agency website that Exxon uses Observa? Yes and I would expect a nerd or geek that can use such editing/publishing programs to work in just such a place and be using the bosses expensive computer program, probably on the bosses time. Perish the thought that the Observa or any of his ilk should dream of sacking him for that though. God what trogs we’d be eh? No the innocent fellow would have to be properly counselled and placated and his point of view completely understood by the organisation. You’d go along with that totally now wouldn’t you Marjoram?
Nevertheless, if anyone out there has any reasonable evidence or proof that the mangement of Exxon commissioned this March of the Penguins in order to advance the profitability of the Corporation, just let me know before you tell the world, Wall Street or the NYSE. I want to make a killing in stock options before the manure hits the fan with Exxon shareholders, (including your Super funds), as they demand to know what these corporate idiots are doing with their hard-earned, at the same time as they’re selling the stock down. Keep me posted with the email address supplied now won’t you? How’s the Exxon share price doing at present?
Terry Lane morphs from,
“I fell for it because I wanted to believe it’
to
“The Macbeth fraud is plausible because it fits the facts…”
Stay tooned folks because I have looked into the penguin’s eyes and have seen the connection between Enron = Exxon and we’ll all be runed! One thing’s for sure though, we’re not dealing with plastic turkeys here. This is the real deal.
Well, Observa, at least Terry apologised for his foolishness, which is more than can be said for 99 percent of those taken in by the great WMD hoax. Indeed, half the US public still believes in it http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2279553, although this is a nation that largely believes in UFOs too.
And Terry’s apology is more than we’ve ever seen from the likes of Janet Albrechtsen for what could generously be described as misattribution in the service of racial stereotyping
http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/090902_s3.htm, or Miranda Devine for a simlar act of deliberate falsification http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s906791.htm Terry may be a sucker, but he’s at least honest about it.
Hal9000, I have already acknowledged his ‘fell for it because I wanted to believe’ statement was honesty above and beyond the call, until he went and spoiled it all with the latter weasel words again.
Oh, I’m sure you’re a great investor observa. That’s what the sales guys, err, financial consultants, tell you anyway. You wanna load up on options? How does an implied vol of 60% and a panamax bid-ask sound to you? Excellent. Yea, I’m sure they love you down at the brokerage house- if the capacity for critical thinking evident in this last opus is anything to go on.
Speaking of, my favorite bit of that had to be the character assassination of Nancy Snow who, aside from a relatively inert observation, has absolutely nothing to do with the story. You were really through there however, and I for one will make certain to ignore whatever comes out of her mouth from now on, irrespective of its merit. Perhaps that’s enough to qualify me for honorary conservative membership, not sure. In any case, the shoot first, query that atrophied clump of stunted neurons in your cranium later approach was how I knew for certain you were a conservative. By contrast, your attempts to hit me in my liberal underbelly by segueing into the vagaries of employment and privacy law were completely mystifying.
As to the remainder of your rejoinder, I should’ve seen it coming. After all, the “you can’t prove it” defense and “unlikely coincidence” routine are the bricks and mortar of the cognitively dissonant wall behind which conservatives typically hide the body. “You can’t prove we manipulated the intelligence on WMDs”. “It’s a coincidence Dick Cheney’s first child was born just over 9 months after the Selective Service lifted the ban on drafting married men without children”. And now this. How does it go again? A guy who identifies himself as living in Beverly Hills works in Washington DC, (how’d you like that commute!), for a PR/lobbying firm whose client is the most strident and biggest spending member of the lobby fighting against the imposition of regulations or taxes on carbon emissions as a policy response to AGW. By coincidence, the subject of his/her/its pasquinade is a political figure whose viability and cause fly in the face of said notorious client’s efforts. Incidentally, that your man is 29 and living in Beverly Hills is not all we know about this mystery Geek. He is also apparently shy in the extreme, demurring when given the chance by national reporters to comment on his labor of love. We also know that the Geek’s deficiency of people skills does not extend to his wallet, splashing out for conglomerate caliber advertising to draw unwitting Googlers to his video.
That’s one magic luggie pal.
Here in the real world, people can be excused for not suspending their common sense simply because Exxon choose to stonewall. In the same way, I’m perfectly happy to conclude that Osama bin Laden had something to do with 9/11 even though there probably isn’t sufficient evidence to prove as much in a court of law. If Exxon would like us to believe they had nothing to do with the piece, they could and should simply release Google from its confidentiality restrictions. After all, what it has done in this instance is deplorable and will, rightfully (and belatedly), reduce its credibility and that of its minions, including think-tanks, in the eyes of the man-in-the-street. But though Exxon would have much to gain from going public on its PR initiatives, I wouldn’t hold your breath- that brain of yours has been through enough as it is.
Observa,
Here’s another brick for your wall:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2003/0312.confessore.html
Apparently Youtube.com is not the first channel DCI have utilized to disseminate their client’s propaganda. This article credits them with the pioneering of journo-lobbying, which is to say propaganda dressed up to look like journalism, (something by now near and dear to conservative hearts). Then again, maybe it was one of their Geeks who set up Tech Central Station- probably on the company time too. They’ve got a real discipline problem over there.
“This article credits them with the pioneering of journo-lobbying, which is to say propaganda dressed up to look like journalism…”
The left pioneered journo-lobbying (Terry Lane was just dumb enough to be caught red handed) and it’s no good them getting precious about a bit of competition. As far as I can see, they’re just jealous the right get paid better.
And we always need to bear in mind that for every Mel Gibson ying, there’s a counterbalancing yang
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/08/08/1154802849506.html
Speaking of market forces here
http://www.janegalt.net/blog/archives/005857.html
Leon,
The planet may be warming up, but whether this is purely a natural thing or the result of man’s activities has yet to be proven. whether or not man can slow down the warming is also unproven.