Mav,

Before blasting the liberal media (and it does exist, just as its counterpart), consider that the media has a single purpose, to make money. As such, all are suspect.

If liberal commentators make money, those who control the major corporations (who are, by and large, conservative and Republican) support them. If not, they leave. If Fox makes money with more balanced reporting, then the rest will follow. Is it a conspiracy or a natural and logical necessity of a profit based system?

And consider Michael Powell's ideas about the FCC not interfering in acquisitions and mergers. Under that policy we could end up with one or two major outlets for news and somehow that's good.

It takes dedication to figure out what's the real story behind most major news stories. Usually three or four sources. And then it's always useful to look at what the rest of the world is saying about what's going on.

As LH commented, we're into jingoism. As a nation we seem addicted to sound bites and simplistic explanations (that are inevitably wrong). Trying to get past the fervent belief that there just has to be a simple answer for everything isn't peculiar to America. We just seem to cling to the idea more tenaciously than most.

You also said: You were aware that the Soviet Communists, Nazis, Chicoms and Cambodians as well as Castro were mass murderers weren't you?

Most of the people I've run into on Mudcat are fairly well read and have a pretty good sense of history. Speaking for myself, yes, I'm very aware of what the groups you list did. As I'm aware of what the US Government did to the Native Americans, what the Allies did to Hamburg and Dresden, what the missionary's did to Hawaii. What the Khmer Rouge did to their own people (with full support of the Actor, btw). What big business did to labor in Europe and the US (worse in the US as I recall). What Catholics did to Protestants..... the list is endless. The question is what to do about it. Besides call each other names.

You seem to be looking for the 'good guys'. There aren't a lot of them and most don't get into politics. Just as the US has to have an enemy (even if we have to make them up) we also demand a hero. If the Left are the bad guys, why then the Right just has to be the good guys. Nice. Neat.. Simplistic. Wrong

For a country that prides itself on supporting the individual, we go to extraordinary links to demand conformity, hiding behind practicality, necessity and security. And are sure that the answer is the sole position of the Republicans or Democrats (who aren't all that different, in the final analysis). What we call the Left and Right, most other countries would view as the same ideology with a few minor variations.

Nader can be viewed as a "spoiler". But what he tried to do (and both Bush and Gore made sure it didn't happen) was expand politics to embrace alternate ideas about how things ought to work. So did the Libertarians and they got excluded too.

Little Hawk,

As a survivor of the US public school system and a citizen, it took me a little longer to dig my way out of what can only be called propaganda. I was lucky, in HS I had a couple of teachers who were definitely "outside the box" and started the process of opening my eyes. Sadly, the propaganda effort continues, aided and abetted by well meaning citizens who were victims of the same limited education and have diligently worked at enshrining what they think know as a sort of ultimate truth.

Regards

John