Tag: interest

Obama’s Hyberbole

President Obama decried the new Supreme Court ruling on corporate money in politics stating:

The Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special-interest money in our politics … It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health-insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans. — President Barack Obama

I disagree with the word “New.” Special interests learned to get their message out while accommodating the restrictions of McCain-Feingold and other limits in a manner that makes the “who” behind the money much harder to find. I like the Supreme Court ruling because I would rather know who is paying whom for what.

Instead of Corporations paying for message directly and the public knowing who is behind the latest meme, everything is indirect and several places removed. So you have a Union or Corporation paying a foundation, and that foundation paying a faux political action group, a Faux think tank, (aka “Stink tank” – Discovery Institute, Heartland Institute, ACORN, Worldwatch, etc.)

These in turn spin off chaff for highly conservative and highly liberal “news” outlets (e.g. Frontpage, Pacifica Radio, AFR, etc. etc.,) which in turn back candidates and causes. Their chaff in turn is re amplified by crowd sourcing the bloggers within the political spectrum, and I suspect there’s a bit of “paid promotional amplification” going on as well. (see this very interesting Berkman Center lecture, then think about comment Spam and it’s origination after.)

It’s very time consuming if you you want to track that buzz or meme or outrage of the day to true source, but more oft than not it can be followed back to a special interest group who is highly anonymous to the general public.

I prefer a political environment where anyone may freely speak or pay, but where every penny is associated back to true source and recorded online as part of public record within 48 hours. Americans are some of the smartest media consumers in the world and it’s counterproductive to create restrictions that demand subterfuge for communication because with each step removed from the original source of the sometimes valid argument additional hysteria, hyperbole, and sometimes outright lies get baked into the message. It’s very hard to have an adult conversation about true issues in that media environment. We don’t need to limit money or speech, but we do need to see who is signing the checks. In my opinion it’s well past time to update our restrictions on political speech to match the new media.

Update: more background on this law, other campaign laws, and conflicting claims at Politifact.

Mike at Downeastblog Sympathizes with VB

One of the VB sympathizers has linked here in response to the previous VB article. He points out Joris Van Servern in one of the books leafed in the video, and the Belgian army, but ignores the books on the rest of the table. While it’s true that Georges Van Severen was opposed to the Nazis, he was still for tribal purity, and the rest of the people in the book were not opposed. (book author here, another tribal purist but more leftist and anti american.) The follow up to the article posted by Charles, with the photo of Filip in front of De Beest with the SS style “S” in Beest,  along with this photo should make you aware of where the leadership of VB stands.

Recently another member of VB was also implicated for organizing Neo Nazi concerts with Blood and Honor, another neo nazi group whose breakaway faction, BBET, was arrested for terror plots in 2006. Here’s a vid of some typical Blood and Honor goings on, keep in mind that “Blood and Honor” was the motto of the Nazi Youth. Blood and Honor Vlaandaren didn’t take kindly to the new direction  (we don’t hate, : we just want apartheid, visible Jodenhaat verboten) and split into factions.

While it’s true that VB has polished its surface veneer by hiding their uncontrollable members in groups like VJW, NSV, NJSV, (they also wear student caps Mike…) and Voorpost, the associations and affiliations are frequent and current. (E.G. The blueshirts in Voorpost still perform security at VB events.)

Here’s an undercover vid of the concert, while it’s true that VB keeps these scum at arm’s length due to die jodenhaat being illegal, it’s also true that many members of VB still sympathize with them. Else why would Filip go to a pub where groups who organize these concerts meet? Why would he go places where posters proclaiming “Solidarity With White South Africa” are a permanent fixture of the walls?

I’d answer the charge that I’m an Obama supporter, but really it’s not necessary since it gave me a good belly laugh. (for why it’s funny, go here.)