Weekly News Wrap-Up 1.20.12
Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
There are about a dozen dead and twenty more missing off the coast of Italy. Video of the Costal Concordia on its side made this story irresistible to the mainstream media. It got wall-to-wall coverage, but does it really affect the everyday lives of Americans? No!! It took away time for stories that are much more important, and, no, I am not talking about the tawdry tale from Newt Gingrich’s ex-wife. This is all the stuff to keep the public busy with the things that really do not affect their lives. The internet piracy legislation in the House and Senate affect all Americans, and little is said about it in the mainstream media (MSM). Thousands of sites are protesting, and Congress is feeling the heat.
Many say this is much more than stopping internet piracy but censorship of free speech. Iran naval commanders say they have the torpedo technology to sink a U.S. aircraft carrier. The rhetoric is increasing by the day right along with the possibility of war. Congressman Ron Paul took a break from campaigning to introduce legislation to strip the NDAA law of its indefinite detention provisions. Many are against the detainment of Americans without formal charges or trial for terrorism. Why isn’t the MSM covering this important battle? All these stories and more are covered by Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com in the Weekly News Wrap-Up.
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About the Author
Greg Hunter
Greg is the producer and creator of USAWatchdog.com. The site’s slogan is “analyzing the news to give you a clear picture of what’s really going on.” The site will keep an eye on the government, your financial interests and cut through the media spin. USAWatchdog.com is neither Democrat nor Republican, Liberal or Conservative. Before creating and producing the site, Greg spent nearly 9 years as a network and investigative correspondent. He worked for ABC News and Good Morning America for nearly 6 years. Most recently, Greg worked for CNN for shows such as Paula Zahn Now, American Morning and various CNN business shows.
If there were a definetion of truth in media the name GREG HUNTER would be there. thank you Greg.
Jaqy,
You are very kind. Thank you for your support.
Greg
Let us all stop using the term MSM. The more accurate term is SSM. State Spomsered Media with the billions government has give them.
good bryan.
Iv been calling them mediaostitutes.
Where is the justice? Whats with all the unchecked corruption?
As time goes by its funny how powerful and relevant the old words of Habakkuk still are.
Just goes to show that it doesnt matter how far back in history you go, when folks open their eyes and actually see in a real sense what is going on around them they are quite simply shocked.
Hopefully for all of us right now that sense of shock doesnt make taking the next step, whatever that might be, to difficult…….
Brian,
I have been asking the same questions for a couple of years now. The economy will not come out of the tailspin it is in without real financial reform and criminal prosecutions! Thank you we are in total agreement!!!
Greg
It appears that the cards are stacked against the patriotic people of the Good Old USA. Gone is the true investigative reporting, replaced by sensationalism to fill the minds of the self-centered. Although there are many who have come to realise the danger, it is not enough to overcome that which will be life changing events in our future. The cult of a two party legislative body has morphed into pyrrhic monster, hell bent to control our everyday lives. To be honest, I do not remember a time which I was so critical of my government. A government that does not govern but imposes Draconian rules at the stroke of a pen, to be discovered and disclosed publicly, by a few steadfast Watchdogs of Liberty.
The next few months will be a battle for the minds that will cast their votes for one person who will determine the fate of our country. As the pendulum swings in the polls for the nomination of the Republican party, shall we again be forced to vote for the Better of Two Evils. Discarding the one that may bring us back from the end of the abyss. Remember that our nations problems have not manifested over night. Each political party has done damage. To extricate us from this quagmire will take courage even as we feel the yoke of tyranny being placed upon our shoulders. Can we call it anything else?
It has been said there are those who vote with their wallets. What good is it when your money becomes worthless? How long must we endure the broken promises? An endless legislative process of laws that are riddled with attachments that only enhance those who wish to stay in power. Why do we continue a monetary system that endeavours to make us all destitute? Why have we not taken responsibility and make the corrections, needed to bring us back to a REPUBLIC?
What we have before us is almost an insurmountable task. One that will require the greatest of due diligence. We ourselves will have to become politicians, bankers, corporation CEO’s, lawyer’s, lobbyists and reporters, to understand the whole and not just parts and pieces of which torments us. They depend upon us being illiterate and uninformed to their abilities to influence every part of our lives.
We must change their agenda! They must hear us and not what they want us to hear!
I do not hear an old man with quirky mannerisms. He is not a politician. He has not waivered in his message.
We do not need another politician.
We need one who is a leader in public affairs. A promoter of the public good.
We need a Statesman.
Ron Paul in 2012.
We all seen the out cry this week when Obama put on hold the pipeline deal.
My wife asked me why would he do that yesterday.
I told her just wait & follow the money.
Well today we see in the story below the likely cause for stopping the pipeline deal.
Buffet is Obama’s buddy & Buffet owns a railroad.
Who would have thought? LOL;)
The energy policies the last 75 to a 100 years have been a complete disaster for the US/World.
(Clue: Just look at how much Oil the US Navy uses patrolling the Middle East!)
I can’t help but think, in a straight up Apple to Apples comparison, that when put to a scientific test, that placing Male Squirrels in Squirrel Cages attached to generators chasing Female Squirrels in heat, placed just out of reach of the males, that a bunch of Squirrels would be most likely at least 10 times more efficient that this current ecological/financial disaster that currently passes as a US Energy Policy!
LOL;)
**More ND oil will be railed with no US pipeline
4 minutes ago
North Dakota oil drillers increasingly will rely on trains to move barrels of crude to market after the Obama administration’s decision to reject plans for a pipeline that would run from Canada to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico, state and industry officials say.
**
Hi Greg,
I listen to your video presentation every week and this was you best one yet – you hit the nail right on the head. I completely agree! I am 66 years old, I have always been a conservative, and have I have voted in every one of my elections for the Republican candidate. Sometimes I had to hold my nose, ie. Bush.
This time I have had it with the party line Republican Bozos , I will not hold my nose any longer, and I will ONLY vote for Ron Paul if he is somewhere on the ballet. If he is not present on the ballet I will leave the space blank – this space intentionally left blank.
Thanks for your efforts and keep up the very good work – I will be listening,
Les Schowe
Go Ron Paul!
You hit the nail on the head. Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate trying to talk about our REAL problems while the MSM has him on a “black out”. Both existing political parties and the MSM do nothing but try to distract our attention from the eminent collapse brought on by their corruption and massive fraud in collusion with the banks. They all talk about the lack of confidence as the cause of economic drag. I’ve got a news flash for them – until the Rule of Law is actually enforced with justice served – there will be NO confidence in the economy, the banks, or the government.
Thank you Susan for the comment and your perspective!
Greg
please,please,please someone talk to Ron Paul to run as a third party candidate….country needs him, the world needs him…even if he doesn’t win, it’s an educational experience that the American public needs…seen him on cspan making an argument against the NDAA on the floor of congress while everyone else is in SC campaigning…what does that say about the man…Greg, you get kudos for your weekly wrap up once again…always make it a habit to seeing your site…also hear you on coast to coast…you do (very) good work
Thank you rrrobert!!
Greg
Yes, you hit the ball out of the park, ‘both parties take pride in ripping off the country’! What is sad is that many lives could be lost in flash if a carrier got hit & then the press would give the platform for all out war with Iran. The intel that comes in is at best a guess IMO, but the beating of war drums keep getting louder from both parties who answer to the back room dictators who holds DC in their pockets.
This one by Armstrong is a must read for all americans, a vital piece about money in the USA. http://www.martinarmstrong.org/files/US%20Dollar%20Evolution/index.html. Martin puts together vital parts of world history with todays events that brings us to where we are today & what we may see soon, to soon!
In a talk with my friend, a CPA who is retiring & leaving for south Florida, his reasons was 3 fold, the passing NDAA, SOPA & the corruption in the local court system as in the State & Federal levels. He has refused to do the taxes of this known political crook & he got blacked balled by our local county/city officials. Armstrong is right, without replacing the massive corruption in the courts from top to bottom, we are looking at a time we will never forget. I would hope Americans could see past the paid off MSM & look at what the future of their kids will be like if we stay the course, but they want.
On a side note, two trips to the coin shop & no gold for sale at any price, he’s a small dealer & is closing his doors & retreating to his farm, his son had opened a gun store 9 months ago & he had to hire 5 full time people & this is a small town! Things are changing fast in the south!
Have a peacefull week end, you will need it for next weeks news cycle!
Dr Paul for President or none of the above!
Thank you M Smith and Luke.
Greg
greg,
I have adopted the phrase “I receive all my disinformation from the TV/radio and all of information via the Net.”
It always reverts to the sage advice of “follow the money”.
In about 5 minutes one can learn who owns which channels and what Boards various members sit upon. For instance, check to see what radio companies Bain is a major stockholder in. Enlightening.
Thank you Cossack55. That’s a good way to get your news. Thank you for supporting USAWatchdog.com
Greg
Our fearless leaders are preparing for something very big, that is about to happen in the very near future. Just as they passed the new bankruptcy laws before the financial melt down, they now are passing new laws to protect the international country club cabal who think they control or own everything. Basically they have passed a back door martial law, soon to be obvious to all. We would not have had such a large majority of congress to approve this back door martial law, unless they have been briefed how much in peril their privileged life was soon to be. I don’t think there is anything we can too to change what is about to happen, except think of a new word to describe the new Fascist form of government we NOW have in the 21 first century. I guess my dearly departed father fought the last bunch of fascist from 1939 to 1946 for nothing. The only hope we have is that the PTB are so inbreed by now, they will somehow mess up their great take over the world plans.
Roy
Good analysis Roy, thank you.
Greg
Now Would Not Be The Time To Celebrate or Relax.
As last week progressed to its conclusion the pressures on Congress from the public and from actual Internet operators to drop any and all so-called internet piracy legislation became too great for them to withstand. SOPA and PIPA as constructed were too little too late. Even the tempting bribes from Wall Street and Hollywood were not enough to overcome their fear of an enraged public and a new and powerful free press. Any court rulings that bloggers are not “real” journalist were exposed as acts of desperation, empty of any real authority and outside the realities of the Internet world.
The Justice Department’s move at the end of the week to take down a major filesharing operation brought a swift reaction from Anonymous and legions of other hackers that shut down entertainment and government webs sites with denial of service attacks. The word no doubt came down from the corporations and the bureaucracy that they could not withstand the attacks, and the call to retreat was sounded. The Feds and their bureaucrats have clearly underestimated how much people love the Internet and the free flow of information it provides that is outside the ability of government and the major media corporations to control. Sure there are a lot of kooky conspiracy theories out there and there will always be those who fall for them. Just look at government and media propaganda, it flourishes and survives in the exact same way. All the suckers notwithstanding there are a lot more people out there with a lot more healthy skepticism and plain old common sense than they get credit for who can see past the bunkum whatever the source.
And that is the point. The numbers of people are growing who no longer are willing to be spoon fed crap, who have come to the realization that there is a truth, a reality, beyond that of government and media managed propaganda. Concurrent with this growth in numbers is a growing realization that government is not the beneficent father it would have us believe it is. SOPA and PIPA can then in fact be seen for what they were, desperate attempts to stem this rising tide.
The words of Thomas Jefferson have come back to haunt the powers that be; “When government fears the people you have liberty, when the people fear the government you have tyranny.”
This is not to say that the power or determination of the statists has been broken. The power of the Internet may have already grown to large for the cage the government wanted to put it in. Yet have no doubt, like in a bad Hollywood movie, the monster will rise from its grave and government will try to construct a newer and bigger cage and find a more surreptitious way of putting it in place. The corruption of the corporatist state has become absolute. It will not simply give up to the “will of the people,” like a wounded animal it will strike back in some new more vicious totalitarian way. A new or manufactured crisis will come along demonstrating the need to bring “certain elements” under control for reasons of “state security” and if the 1st Amendment and freedom of expression become collateral damage well that’s just too bad. It will all be for our own good and protection of course.
Perhaps than it is true that there are two types of people in the world, the ones who want to be left alone to pursue there own happiness free of interference from others and government and those sociopaths who see controlling others and restricting their freedoms as the path to power and wealth. Hopefully as long as the desire for freedom remains a part of our genetic makeup and as long as there are a lot more of the former (and at least a few of them willing to put up the good fight) than the latter, then there is still hope that the next generation will know the freedoms we and past generations have known and in many cases fought to pass on to them.
Goos stuff as usual Davis!!
Greg
A must read article in the NYT (a rarity, I know) on why middle class jobs are gone forever. Very scary
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html?hp
Thank you NM for the comment and the content!! It’s been awhile since you have commented.
Greg
Good article
What would happen if an organized crime syndicate, aided by a corporate-owned media, managed to slowly, incrementally over decades, gain total control of the worl— Oh, wait. Nevermind.