Political Theatre category archive

The Florida State legislature is considering turning the state education system into a re-education system. Retired USF professor David Lee McMullen reports:

The Legislature is considering a bill that would mandate the showing of a conservative film to all eighth- and 11th grade students in Florida. I’m sure the supporters of the bill believe the documentary, America: Imagine the World Without Her, will help influence the students’ political beliefs.

This is not the first time our state legislators have tried to mold the minds of young people.

Using the schools for partisan indoctrination–it’s a Republican thing.

Please God, not another Bush.

Pap and Thomas Franks discuss the punditocracy’s pablum.

Via C&L.

Lynch mob.

Don’t forget that the reason the CIA and its dupes, symps, and fellow travelers did not want the report released had nothing to do with “national security” and everything to do with covering its own sorry ass.

Ted Cruz quotes Cicero and misses the point.

Via C&L.

Farnsworth.

Warning: in the usual bad taste.

Via Facing South, which reports that North Carolina is the most gerrymandered state.

Some while ago, I heard a black actor I forget who talk about breaking into the Hollywood movie industry. He said one thing that stuck in my mind, that, if a black man wants to be an actor, he must accept that his first roles will be as a criminal or a thug.

It is distressing that that is the case. And it doesn’t stop with “entertainment” casting, as Professor Sonora Jha of Seattle University points out in considering news coverage of race-related issues. She considers the coverage of events in Ferguson, Missouri:

Further, why is it that the news media insist on having each of these people respond to questions about the upheaval that occurred in Ferguson, no matter that their expertise may not be in the area of anarchist political protest? Would we fault a viewer or reader for thinking that the blackness of these commentators necessitates that they be called out to speak for violence wrought on the streets by people who happen to be of the same race or ethnicity — or for wondering why the riot coverage is disproportionately spotlighted by the media?

Such “ghettoized” representation of diverse communities in news coverage is nothing new. Indeed, research has shown over and over again that news media tend to focus on white, authoritative, male sources. This preference becomes especially heightened in coverage of crime, disaster and even civil disobedience.

Do read the rest. It helps explain why David Brooks still has a job.

At the Guardian, Jeb Lund examines wingnut media’s efforts to spin away the murder of Eric Garner. A snippet:

After weeks of explaining away Ferguson as Mike Brown’s fault, outlets like Fox News faced a quandary: How do you make the unambiguous go away?

It turns out the answer is going back to the old playbook – where racism is the fault of its victims, where the discussion floats above the facts on the ground, and symbols are attacked with symbols. It doesn’t matter what happened to Eric Garner when what he represents is wrong.

Methinks ’tis an accurate diagnoses.

Juanita Jean.

Twits who are always wrong about everything.

Afterthought:

So many twits, so little time.

Don’t believe what television tells you about intrepid scientists with unlimited time and resources bored overworked underpaid lab techs examining infinitesimal bits of evidence in pursuit of justice.

It ain’t necessarily so.

As of today, the Virginia Department of Forensic Science will no longer perform several kinds of trace evidence examinations, prompting concern from police.

The department said the move, which will affect some examinations of gunshot residue, hair, fiber and other evidence, is the result of required budget cuts.

More what policing is like in real life at the link.

One more time, a Libertarian is a Republican who’s ashamed to admit it.