Sandra M. Vago urges readers to follow her lead and write to the FCC:

“Dear FCC Commissioners:

“We wish to request the re-instating of the ‘No Personal Attacks’ Rule in the FCC. We also wish to have Kenneth Tomlinson, Chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, removed from office if he is not willing to offer fair and balanced and unbiased reporting, broadcasting and journalism on Public Broadcasting. These same efforts to influence and interfere with public radio and television have been attempted by rather notorious efforts by Richard Nixon and by Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W.H. Bush, by making them political arms of the government propaganda machine. Public Broadcasting must be protected from this kind of blatant political, ideological takeovers, especially now in this climate of abuse of power in America.”

CLINTON APPOINTED TOMLINSON

Speaking of Tomlinson, one-man media-monitoring machine Mike Petralis writes to the New York Times to urge them to remind readers that Tomlinson was appointed by President Bill Clinton:

“In the May 2 story, the Times reported the following: ‘Mr. Tomlinson’s tenure has brought criticism that his chairmanship has been the most polarizing in a generation. Christy Carpenter, a Democratic appointee to the board from 1998 to 2002, said partisanship was ‘essentially nonexistent’ in her first years. But once Mr. Tomlinson, a former editor in chief of Reader’s Digest, joined in September 2000 and President Bush’s election changed the board’s political composition, the tenor changed, she said.’

“What the Times failed to report is that Tomlinson was appointed to the CPB’s board by former Democratic President Bill Clinton. (Source: http://www.cpb.org/about/corp/bios/board/tomlinson.html.)”

http://mpetrelis.blogspot.com/>http://mpetrelis.blogspot.com/

THE WAY THINGS WORK

Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy comments:

“The person who wrote that doesn’t know how things work. Clinton appointed Michael Powell too. The GOP nominees come from the GOP members of Congress. Clinton just appointments them. Usually a deal is made. The Sen. will confirm the president’s nominees along with the other party nominees (chosen by them) at same time.”

NEWSWEEK GIVEN PALAST PRIZE

“And so long as George is angry and Condi appalled, Newsweek knows what to do: swiftly grab its corporate ankles and ask the White House for mercy.

“But there was no mercy. Donald Rumsfeld pointed the finger at Newsweek and said, ‘People lost their lives. People are dead.’ Maybe Rumsfeld was upset that Newsweek was taking away his job. After all, it’s hard to beat Rummy when it comes to making people dead.

“And just for the record: Newsweek, unlike Rumsfeld, did not kill anyone — nor did its report cause killings. Afghans protested when they heard the Koran desecration story (as Christians have protested crucifix desecrations). The Muslim demonstrators were gunned down by the Afghan military police — who operate under Rumsfeld’s command.

“Our Secretary of Defense, in his darkest Big Brother voice, added a warning for journalists and citizens alike, ‘People need to be very careful about what they say.’

“And Newsweek has now promised to be very, very good, and very, very careful not to offend Rumsfeld, appall Condi or anger George.

“For their good behavior, I’m giving Newsweek and its owner, the Washington Post, this week’s Yellow Streak Award for Craven Cowardice in Journalism.”

www.GregPalast.com

DISSECTOR BLOG: “BEST ON THE NET”

Pamela Munday writes:

“I would just like to say how great the blog has been lately. Over and above all others it is by far the best on the net. I have told all my friends to read it.”

ON GEORGEOUS GEORGE

Lance Evingson wrote early yesterday to advise:

“Get ahold of a tape of the BBC coverage that is distributed to the U.S. The BBC Washington correspondent’s evaluation of the proceedings is highly curious: someone’s ‘on the dole’ … it was unbelievable — this correspondent did all he could do to back up Sen. Coleman’s post-hearing attempt @character assassination.”

Later in the day, he very kindly corrected his own letter:

“Sorry, a bit of bad ‘journalism’ on my part. The person given the last word during the BBC coverage last evening was a Nile Gardiner, with the Heritage Foundation, also a Brit, my ears tell me. It was he who continued the hatchet job, begun by Sen. Coleman. Sadly his was the final evaluation during the broadcast & he also took great pains to use the ‘L’ word — ‘liberation’ of the Iraqi people. Wish it had been Chauncey Gardiner?”

WERE THEY SET UP?

Linda Weltner, former Boston Globe Columnist for 19 years, and member of the class-action lawsuit which the Boston Globe Freelancers’ Association lost in court, writes

“I have no doubt that both the person who gave Dan Rather faulty information and this Pentagon spokesman set up CBS and Newsweek. Even if the informants were considered reliable sources, who’s to say that someone didn’t hand them what was described as truthful information.

“Just wait a few months. They’ve hit TV and magazines; a major newspaper is next. Big media think being subservient will protect them, but subservient isn’t good enough for this bunch.”

Darryl Bowles writes from Madrid:

“Just read your article about Galloway’s appearance in the Senate and it was great. But even better was seeing the face of the Spanish TV reporter from Washington! Now that was worth the price of admission. Obviously he could not believe what he was seeing, (Because of the time difference the hearing was still going on as he made his report.) and fact that the whole of the U.S. was seeing it at the same time really blew him out of the saddle and he kept emphasizing the fact that the American public was finally getting the truth about Iraq. Which means, I suppose that he will be sent home rather shortly. Unless the dimwits in charge are too hung up on Newsweek to notice.

“And of course, they had hardly closed the doors on the hearing before the right wing slanderers in blog world were out in force calling Galloway just about everything in the book. Of course, exactly like the ‘Rathergate’ episode and now the ‘Newsweek’ crusade, they make not the slightest effort to refute what the man says. No. He’s a left wing thug etc. and all the rest but not a word refuting the subject matter.”

Virginia Weldon in Boulder:

“My Celtic Soul thrilled to see such a man as George Galloway with the cajones to speak truth to power. We have not seen the likes of this kind of man since Sen. Wellstone walked these halls. It saddens me that this ‘Mr. Smith who came to Washington’ came by way of Scotland and not from our own country.”

Sarah Meyer send this article in from the Guardian on why Galloway’s confrontation played well in U.S. media:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1486973,00.html

ON MANDELA’S VISIT TO THE U.S.

Emira Wood writes in Foreign Policy in Focus:

“As people begin to line up in movie theaters to visit galaxies far, far away in the final chapter of Star Wars, Nelson Mandela comes to America to remind us of a continent right here on earth, just on the other side of the Atlantic.

“Often neglected and marginalized, Africa is the only region in the world no better off than it was 25 years ago. A fifth of all Africans live in countries burdened by war, 44 million African children do not go to school, millions of Africans die as a result of disease or conflict, and Africa risks being left even further behind as economic stagnation spreads.

“Tragic as they are, these statistics are not new. For decades, the world has faced the harsh consequences of its benign neglect of Africa, and done nothing. Mandela in all his glory has come to the United States this month to tell us that ‘Africa’s time has come.’

“Now is the time for bold actions to end the system of global apartheid separating haves and have-nots, with many of those have-nots discriminated by race and geography, in the African world.”

www.FPIF.org

NEW NAZI SPAM ATTACK ALREADY PROGRAMMED

Doug Ireland warns:

“The next attack of the virulent computer worm launched by Germany’s neo-Nazi party, the NPD, and which has flooded computers all over the world with hate-spam, has already been programmed for ten days from now — and it can turn off your computer’s anti-virus protection systems, including Symantec the Windows XP firewall, including the Windows update. German computer experts are predicting that the new attack, from a variation of the first virus called Sober.P, will use colonized address books on your computers to launch millions and millions of new hate-spam messages — and are urging every computer owner to immediately update their virus protection, Der Spiegel Online reports today. The worm can send messages in both English and German.”

http://direland.typepad.com/direland/2005/05/new_nazi_spam_a.html

HAITIAN ART SHINES

Dropped into the always-jumping multi-culti SOB Club last night for a Haitian Flag day event… Lots of unique music and dancing, but what caught my eye was some powerful and very original art by a painter named Jadriz… watch for him… at a time when a fellow Haitian Basquiat is being showcased in a museum retrospective… this newcomer’s colorful work was showcased in one of the hottest clubs in New York City… Haiti has a way of turning its pain into powerful forms of cultural expression. His work jumped out at me. That name again: Jadrix.

SPACE IS THE PLACE

Came home to fans lining up outside the theater down the block to play Darth Vader for the TV cameras and see the latest Star Wars episode. Heard that the Bushies fear that the movie is a veiled attack on them. Perhaps that’s why the New York Times is reporting now on the administration’s space war program… Is this life imitating art or the other way around?

OK, folks that’s it for me for the next 11 days. Off on a magical mystery tour… Will try to check in. I have written a piece for Media Channel for next week. In the interim, behave yourselves and may the force be with you.

If you have anything to say for the next week or so, say it to david@wmdthefilm.com.