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16 years ago
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Bernie's Lack of Media Coverage
Media Coverage: Why Trump trumps Sanders
A lot of people are scratching their heads in bewilderment, "why is Trump plastered on every television screen and newspaper cover, while Sanders remains obscure?" It may be confusing to the average American, why one gets so much coverage despite the fact his candidacy is a walking punchline, while the other is lucky to get a five minute spot in which they ask his opinion on Hillary Clinton's hairdo.
The first thing to consider; despite Trump's lofty rhetoric about corruption and the government being inept, he poses no threat to the establishment. After all, although never in elected office, Trump is part of the establishment no matter how much deception he uses to prove otherwise. He donates to politicians of all stripes to gain favor, he wines and dines with the establishment, attends the same galas and ballroom soirées with the upper crust, he is an ELITE.
Sanders however, does pose a real threat to the status qou. His talk of electoral reform, money in politics, and public campaign finance has the powers that be shaking in their fine Italian loafers. Sanders points the flash light at the shadowy reaches where the elite reside, the proverbial smoke filled board rooms where the decisions are really made. But that's just one reason.
The main reason is; as stated Trump is an elite. His billionaire claim may be exaggerated, but his wealth can not be denied. As a wealthy elite, Mr Trump is in the ownership class. Being so, his portfolio is sure to include massive holdings of every major corporation on the planet, including the media conglomerates. He wants a tv spot, he (his assistant) calls the executives at NBC and tells them when he will be there and what he'd like to drink when he arrives. "He'll take beluga caviar with his martini". The same for Fox, CNN, CBS, you name it he owns it. This is the reason Trump trumps Sanders when it comes to media coverage.#progressivereformers
A lot of people are scratching their heads in bewilderment, "why is Trump plastered on every television screen and newspaper cover, while Sanders remains obscure?" It may be confusing to the average American, why one gets so much coverage despite the fact his candidacy is a walking punchline, while the other is lucky to get a five minute spot in which they ask his opinion on Hillary Clinton's hairdo.
The first thing to consider; despite Trump's lofty rhetoric about corruption and the government being inept, he poses no threat to the establishment. After all, although never in elected office, Trump is part of the establishment no matter how much deception he uses to prove otherwise. He donates to politicians of all stripes to gain favor, he wines and dines with the establishment, attends the same galas and ballroom soirées with the upper crust, he is an ELITE.
Sanders however, does pose a real threat to the status qou. His talk of electoral reform, money in politics, and public campaign finance has the powers that be shaking in their fine Italian loafers. Sanders points the flash light at the shadowy reaches where the elite reside, the proverbial smoke filled board rooms where the decisions are really made. But that's just one reason.
The main reason is; as stated Trump is an elite. His billionaire claim may be exaggerated, but his wealth can not be denied. As a wealthy elite, Mr Trump is in the ownership class. Being so, his portfolio is sure to include massive holdings of every major corporation on the planet, including the media conglomerates. He wants a tv spot, he (his assistant) calls the executives at NBC and tells them when he will be there and what he'd like to drink when he arrives. "He'll take beluga caviar with his martini". The same for Fox, CNN, CBS, you name it he owns it. This is the reason Trump trumps Sanders when it comes to media coverage.#progressivereformers
Former US Military Top-Brass Working for Companies Profiting from Drone Warfare
http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/drone-wards-revolving-doors-742
Revealed: The Former US Military Top-Brass Working for Companies Profiting from Drone Warfare
by Solomon Hughes
An MQ-9 Reaper Drone (Image via)
Generals and other top military staff who ran the US "Drone Wars" in the Middle East now work for the top drone firms, with lucrative positions at private contractors holding big contracts to help run the remotely controlled killing machines.
Supposedly "targeted killings" by drones have led to international concern, as victims of "surgical strikes" carried out by the unmanned weapons include wedding parties in Yemen, friendly-fire killings of Afghan soldiers, and nearly 200 children in Pakistan.
So, wreaking mass death from above is a negative, but on the positive side they have also led to big contracts for defence firms. A Bureau of Investigative Journalism investigation identified a bunch big companies that have major contracts helping analyse data and other support work that drones need to operate.
The Bureau found a booming private business analysing the images and data from drones to help the American military decide if and when the unmanned aircraft should launch their missiles and kill people. This was a new, privately run info-war, with companies on contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollar supporting the "intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance" (ISR) that makes drones kill.
Now a separate analysis by VICE reveals a revolving door between the parts of the military responsible for drone attacks, and the private firms that have lucrative contracts to support drone warfare. In other words, ex-Generals are using their cache as military experts to work for drone companies with a financial interest in promoting new forms of war.
General James Mattis in 2012 (Photo via US Naval War College)
To take one example, ex-General James Mattis is on the board of General Dynamics. General Dynamics are a drone manufacturer, as well as having held a contract for analysing footage from drones. They are both involved in the old fashioned "physical" war and the new "info" war.
Mattis – who declared in 2005 that it was "fun to shoot some people" in the Afghan conflict – was the head of Centcom in 2010 until 2013. Centcom is the US Department of Defence's Central Command in charge of all operations in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. As head of Centcom, Mattis "oversaw the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and was responsible for a region that includes Syria, Iran, Yemen."
Mattis is now regularly quoted in the media calling for a firmer military stance in the Middle East. He even testified recently at Congress alongside Jack Keane – another former General (and architect of the "Surge" in Iraq) who also sits on the General Dynamics board. In January, Mattis warned Senators against "mindless sequestration" – budget cuts – because America has to use "its ability to intimidate to ensure freedom for future generations" with more "forward-deployed forces overseas", and a military prepared for different types of warfare "including the pervasive cyber domain." I guess that would be the domain that his employer operates in.
Consultants Booz Allen Hamilton were also identified as a drone war firm, with a contract for "supporting special operations". Last February, Booz Allen hired US Army Chief Information Officer Lieutenant General Susan Lawrence as a Senior Vice President. Lawrence had also been the Commanding General of "Netcom" – the US Army Technology Command, in charge of all their "Command, Control, Communications, and Computers". She was in charge of the technology which was used for the surveillance of the battlefield enemy.
Lieutenant General Lawrence's first public appearance for Booz Hamilton this year involved showing off the firm's cyber capabilities at a military conference organised by the "Association for the United States Army" attended by "key leaders from the Army, Department of Defence and Congress".
General Ann E Dunwoody (Photo via US Army)
L-3 Communications won a contract for imagery analysis and earned $155 million (£99 million) over five years from 2010. The company boasts that, "Many of L-3's top business leaders are former military personnel". Their board includes General Ann E Dunwoody. She is the first woman to become a four star general. She was put in charge of the US Army Materiel Command by George Bush in 2008 until her retirement in 2012. This position included responsibility for the research and development of weapons systems. Now L-3 can draw on that experience.
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