The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde

The walls are falling in Bush's Jericho! (Hmmm, Jericho, is that in the Middle East?!?)

Evidence? Joe Lieberman's vaguely threatening McCarthy-esque letter to Google about the content of YouTube. Independent Joe demands to know what these Internets folk are going to do about the "terrorist" videos on their site. Total blanket censorship is all he wants - what's so bad about that?

Seriously: Ol' Joe thinks he's more powerful than Google and YouTube. Really. It's funny as hell. Read his letter - Joe is so full of himself and his "power" that it's parody.

And then there is the White House's scathingly insane letter to NBC about their editing (wha?) of an interview with Bush. In which Bush appears as an idiot. The White House should be quite glad that they edited the interview. I've watched cut and uncut versions - he comes off much worse in the original footage. They also want to know why NBC is lying to us about the country being in a "recession" - they shouldn't be using that word, it's deceptive. Think about that for one second. Now, laugh. Then, cry.

What are they trying to do? After years of puppy-dog trotting along behind Bush and whatever crazy thing he says and does, just repeating it verbatim as "news" to the American people, the traditional media has finally remembered it has an independent voice and a responsibility. And that silly Internets company thinks it's better than a United States Senator? Well! (If these two attacks weren't orchestrated by the White House, I'll vote for McCain this fall).

Hallelujah? I dunno. Took 'em freakin' long enough. Don't know whether or not I really should praise them. Maybe money is talking at NBC and MSNBC. When Wonder Woman (aka Rachel Maddow) took over for Olberman last Friday night, talking truth, their ratings went through the roof! One can hear the rust flaking off of long-unused brain cells: "Perhaps there IS something in this honest reporting, after all. Hmmm. Ratings? Money?" Google just doesn't have to care. The corporate internationals have more power than the governments now. Hats off to Philip K. Dick, kids!

But, like the spoiled brats and bullies they are, Bush and Co. cannot take this newly discovered sense of responsibility the media has shown. And they are sending nasty letters about it, be sure! You'll get one, too, Fox News! Oh, wait. Scratch that last sentence.