Happy Face

My issue is just with the '2 minute hate' comparison. That was based on the commonplace rituals that are a staple of any totalitarian government, and the whole point of the exercise is that it is mandatory: failure to take part would have you sent straight to the gulag. The very fact that Greenwald can freely write and publish a piece of writing like that renders his comparison obsolete. There have been some very obvious anti-wikileaks smears and propaganda, but it is nothing compared to the idea of the '2 minute hate', or the propaganda that would be seen from a totalitarian government. For instance, the US government (was it the Pentagon?) freely admitted that there was no evidence to say someone had been harmed as a result of a leak. It would have been fairly easy for them to cobble together some fake evidence if they really wanted to, and it would have been lapped up by those who hate Wikileaks, FOX would probably have run a special on it with Glenn Beck throwing darts at a picture of Assange's face. I know some adults, in their 40s, who probably wouldn't recognise the name 'wikileaks' (I'd be very surprised if they had, they'd never heard of Murdoch/Brooks during the height of that kerfuffle). They make a point of not watching the news and pay no attention to any current affairs. I would guess that they are not alone in this attitude, there is probably a large group of these kind of people in the UK and US. Then you will have another large group who have heard of wikileaks but have no real clue what it is, and don't particularly care about it. The groups who love and hate wikileaks are probably quite small. So really, if the US government and organisations within were conducting a propaganda campaign comparable to that of totalitarian governments, it's been completely ineffectual. This is nothing new though, people on the left and right regularly invoke Orwell in the worst way possible. All fair enough. But Greenwald isn't equating the 2. He can say an apple happens to be red, like a bus. That's not to say a bus is identical to an apple. Another difference is it's 24 hours a day, not just 2 minutes. I remember he similarly compared Bush (or Obama) to the Queen from Alice in Wonderland - "Sentence first -- verdict afterward". That's not to say every court in America behaves in that fashion, or that the president chops off heads. Just that the president takes that approach in breach of the constitution in certain cases. Greenwald clearly values the freedom and the law of the US above all those other countries. This isn't a question of either of those being violated, it's a scathing attack on the media elites in the pockets of Washington that choose to propagandise on their behalf despite the evidence. On it being ineffectual I can't agree. There are a great number who don't follow any of this...and Washington don't care about them. There are a smaller number who follow it in great detail, who can get all the info they like and Washington don't care about them. But the majority are people who show a glancing interest. They get their news on a breakfast show, 15 minutes a day, or on the drive to work on the radio. The fact is that none of these people will have heard the ACLU's report on the threats to freedom marking 9/11, because the news networks are more interested in demonising Paul Krugman ang regurgitating what Obama said about how they've retained their values without question. Here's Tom with the weather.

Nobody has given qpr any credit, and to be fair they were bloody good. with the new owner and signings, at home, the whole club is on a high and we did well not to cave under the pressure. While riding our luck.

He's been ok for us this season until tonight - Wright-Philips destroyed him. Makes you wonder why Pardew didn't bring Santon on. Not fit?? Probably cos SWP would have raped him and that's not what you want for your first game.

The Ameobi. Looking at the fixtures in fear of when we'll take a well deserved hammering...pleasantly surprised it probably shouldn't happen till November. We could ship 20 in 3 games when we play Man City, Man U and Chelsea on the bounce though. Shitting it.

2 of them weak as piss and losing out to that header. Shocking.

Ashley will be very worried about his form. Won't be able to sell him in January.

Hes not playing............... Eh....It's a shit stream, but is that not number 4? Sarcasm dude. He has been none existent. So it's a no then.

Hes not playing............... Eh....It's a shit stream, but is that not number 4?

Didn't see the first half. Did Cabaye manage to pass to a team-mate?

No problem you catty cow. I've had a read of it now and while he does go overboard on the dramatics I think the bile directed at Krugman this week for repeating what he was saying 7 years ago anyway is indicative of his "hate" point. Like Michael Moore, The Dixie Chicks and Bill Maher, what he said being factual becomes lost in the overreaction to his "repugnant" criticism. How unpatriotic.

How could anyone there keep a straight face?

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/1...n&seid=auto Absolutely spot on. http://www.flickr.com/photos/58372028@N00/6140836618/

http://www.toontastic.net/board/index.php?...60&start=60

On the hoy Friday and Saturday night, 2 quarter pounders, a McChicken Sandwich and a Zinger Tower. Like a rake. Bastard. I'll console myself with the fact you're doing yourself no good. J69 style. He'll have the guts of a seventy year old with that lot rotting in there 2 nights of Guinness too. It's like shitting the corpse of a rat that's been in the sun for a month.

Fat lad who wears T-shirts 2 sizes too small so his gut skin is hanging out constantly. Walks 2 yards and he's panting like a rapist. You go for a piss and without seeing him, you can tell when he's in the cubicle cos it sounds like a heavy breathing crank caller eating a cream cake. Fucking repugnant beast.

I felt a little let down by it. I didn't think it was possible to feel let down by a Hollywood blockbuster any more. Certainly better than any that spring to mind from the last 5 years. I've not seen The Escapist though, so don't know what kind ogf benchmark the director had set. Don't get me wrong there were some nice toches like when he draws 'the window' in his little cage on the wall. Great idea. This kind of film really needs an epic landscape if you know what I mean...Too may interiors and close ups...etc... Needed to get the ape out into the wild somehow...(Just thinking aloud).. Gave me shivvers when he spoke for the first time. A much better "Noooo!" than Vader's in Revenge of the Sith

I felt a little let down by it. I didn't think it was possible to feel let down by a Hollywood blockbuster any more. Certainly better than any that spring to mind from the last 5 years. I've not seen The Escapist though, so don't know what kind ogf benchmark the director had set.

Should start doing balloons instead. I spunked about £40 on balloons last weekend. As bad a crack ffs. What are balloons? "What's a Clarky Cat?? WHAT DOES IT MEAN" Any excuse. (Takes 45 seconds to start for some reason).

On the hoy Friday and Saturday night, 2 quarter pounders, a McChicken Sandwich and a Zinger Tower. Like a rake.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes An excellent 90 minutes of the mental anguish of a monkey slowly turning against people, spoiled by a ridiculous 20 minute action scene that's the most boring part of the whole film. Well worth it for the good stuff though.

He was great in The Running Man.

Brilliant weekend gone and looking forward to Greece in a fortnight...but a complete slave to conference calls/Outlook for the week as the boss is off and I'm playing stand in...so miserable as ferk. She sent me a £20 Amazon voucher though so that makes it all ok

Always Remember going to Seaworld in Florida and being freaked out by the militarism. When we went to see Shamu the 5 year old kids that said they wanted to be soldiers when they grew up got to go and pet the whale, a round of applause and a medal. Gave me a shudder, but better to bribe kids than force them into it.