A Weird Week of Republicans Shooting Their Mouths Off

Not exactly what David Brooks said, but close.  Another edition of Shields and brooks that gets to the heart of what really counts in the bizarre and sometimes very off-base stories that the media chooses to cover.  


Personally, I prefer the days before trending "Twits" determined a news organization's focus and people like Ben Bradlee insisted on quality journalism, even if it took awhile. 


Although Shields and Brooks don't mention it, I have a real problem when "Twit readers" demand that Brian Williams, the 'talking head' that reads/introduces the 22 minutes of news every night be 'credible', far beyond any of the people (mostly anonymous) whose barely literate Twits they eagerly consume around the clock. 


Anyway, back to another excellent discussion between Shields and Brooks:

I'm With the Scientists!

Interesting Pew Research Center poll published this week.  I am not sure if this is as much disagreement based on knowledge, or just another reflection of the fact that most adult Americans are unbelievably uninformed/dense/stupid about science and science matters. I turn off "entertainment news" entirely on any news site I visit regularly, but crank up the science settings.  For our competitive future in the "real" flat world, more Americans should do the same. Maybe we should be doing more of this: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/skip-fairy-tales-tell-daughter-science-bedtime-stories/

Here is a very readable PBS summary: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/study-reveals-wide-opinion-differences-scientists-general-public/

And here is the original Pew poll - seeing the areas of agreement juxtaposed with the areas of disagreement is quite jarring.  Americans see science and generally a 'good' thing and worthy of some investment, but the disagreement areas make me ask -- were they really paying attention at all, or glued to their favorite Hollywood or sports hero's Tweets?    

Health Care Nonsense

I was actually planning a nice little post here about the b___ s__t that Americans have been fed and largely believe about the US health care racket (errr... I mean "system"). 

But Wendell Potter (a former health insurance CEO) has done a much better job than I could and I won't plagiarize his work.  Please read it - it should disabuse you of almost everything that you thought "everybody knows" about American health care.

http://www.publicintegrity.org/2014/12/01/16334/exploding-myths-about-american-health-care?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=watchdog&utm_medium=publici-email&goal=0_ffd1d0160d-ee2804a9ed-100121433&mc_cid=ee2804a9ed&mc_eid=14bacdf82a

The documentary he references:
http://remoteareamedicalmovie.com/screenings/

Wendell Potter's book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A16M7HC/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00A16M7HC&linkCode=as2&tag=thecenforpu0d-20

Guantanamo's Wreckage

I have recently become involved in a BBC effort that solicits commentary and analysis of BBC-produced programs.  It gave me the opportunity to listen to this documentary broadcast on the Guantanamo Bay prison - but  with the emphasis on prisoners who have been released.

It is a program that does not spoon-feed the listener the viewpoint they are supposed to be adopting like so many US "cable news" programs these days.  You actually need to think here - the story is told through the experiences of real people who were incarcerated at Guantanamo.  The story eventually tells itself very well, and it is not a pretty one for US citizens who in a very real way are responsible for the unjust, inhuman, and quite frankly invented reasons for keeping some of these people there at all.