Vincent Guarisco

"There is no such thing, at this date of the world's history, in America, as an independent press. The business of the journalists is to destroy the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread. We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes."~~ John Swinton, Chief of Staff New York Times at New York Press Club, 1953

By Vincent L Guarisco

The 2004 Election is quickly approaching and, despite the cries that there are huge numbers of "undecideds" who will keep George W. Bush safely ensconced within his bubble behind the barricaded White House, the actual figure is very low. Truth is, only a few Americans remain stumped at which candidate they will choose at this late stage of the game.

Although just one debate is left hanging in the mist, the majority of those engaged in the process have spoken loud and clear that John Kerry and John Edwards are the winners and George Bush and Dick Cheney are the losers in the aftermath of the first two debates. Anyone who was amused at Bush winking, smirking, interrupting the moderator and yelling in last week's debate will be laughing out loud after Wednesday's finale. Bush will need to be wired for more than sound because he'll be strutting into Kerry's territory -- domestic issues.

Ironically, our defense corporate-owned/operated media seem to either be oblivious of what is transpiring right before their eyes, or they're in deep denial. Is it possible they just keep making huge mistakes in publishing "the people's choice" in the debates? Or -- place check mark here -- are they just so consumed with partisan fervor, or even hate, that they cannot

report the true results in the very polls that they themselves conduct? It

would appear that the media snake is rearing its ugly head, in fact -- a clear trail of twisted venomous deceit is plainly coming out of a very dark 2000 hole.

If you recall, immediately after each debate, all major networks conducted their own independent polling to determine which candidate did the best job.

Many people went to these sites and cast their votes. Kerry and Edwards

were clearly winners on each one, and by very wide margins. However the networks decided to neither post nor broadcast these results. In fact, soon after each debate, anchors and pundits were blathering either that the candidates were in a dead heat, or Bush was leading "by a slim margin."

What are we to think about this? Do we call it a "mass mistake" that was so contagious that all media simultaneously screwed up? If not, then why did they scrub the immediate polling results -- removing them from their websites as if they never existed and then started new ones the next day?

Was it hindsight in order to achieve the desired results?

For example, after the Cheney/Edwards debate, CNN abruptly yanked a poll

website showing Edwards ahead by a margin of 78% to 18%. In the ensuing

much support . Hmmmmm, go figure.

It's time to confront the media with hard questions, because logic dictates in the face of duplicity. As concerned Americans, we must demand quick and honest answers. Tenacity may very well prove to be our salvation in these chaotic times.

It's bad enough that the spinmeisters are spinning us dizzy, and the talking heads are making our ears ring -- to make matters worse -- the rest of the free world now views us as a rogue state who needs help with conducting fair elections. Whatever happened to America being the pillar of democracy and freedom in the eyes of the rest of the world? Oops, I guess they haven't forgotten what happened in the 2000 selection either! Yep, forget being embarrassed, I guess we're lucky to have monitors watch over us on November 2.

Are we in deep ka-ka? Perhaps, but let's "get real." You would think that after enduring all the murky partisan confusion, after skinny-dipping in muddy political waters the media would -- as a minimum -- give us accurate results. Isn't this what democracy is all about?

Logic dictates that this should be a simple process. Everything in between may be complicated (analyzing, choosing, not having a fair candidate to choose from), but after listening to all the bull-crap and casting our votes, it should be a simple matter in terms of reporting the results. What a disservice to all Americans! Those who care enough to cast their votes -- who trust the democratic process -- deserve so much better.

Even more disturbing is the breaking news that "Sinclair" broadcasting is forcing more than 60 of their affilliates to air a prime-time politically-damning "Swift boat" documentary detrimental to Senator John

Kerry on the eve of the election. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Unfortunately, the FCC chairman is Michael Powell, son of Secretary of State Colin Powell -- a militantly partisan chairman who has worked steadily to weaken public interest protections from the day he was appointed. Copps is correct when he says, "Sinclair, and the FCC, are taking us down a dangerous road."

On a personal note -- for those of you who read articles such as this one and cannot "put a face" on the person behind the keyboard, let me assure you I'm just like you. I eat, breathe and share the same air as you. I have bills, health issues, problems, personal baggage, triumphs and tribulations just as you do. I am a common worker and consumer who labors at a lower middle-class job day after day, month after month, year after year -- the same as you.

My wife works full-time as well -- not by choice, but because it takes our combined incomes to meet our financial obligations. And, we are blessed to have four lovely children. In addition, we provide a home for my mother whose health is ailing, but is happy to be with us in her final twilight years.

Sound familiar?

I am confronted with all of the amenities, disappointments, successes and failures that challenge anyone at any given time, and just like you, we feel our life getting tougher -- we get closer to living on the edge every day in order to meet those challenges. Each payday I find myself making tough sacrifices by prioritizing basic necessities with fewer goodies. Vacations are now spent at home rather than wasting vital resources on the fun things we used to enjoy without worrying about it. Even taking the family for a weekend car ride can be cumbersome with gas exceeding two dollars a gallon, and the budget-belt is getting tighter every day. Under the present administration, I see no relief in sight.

In addition, I receive no money for my articles; I am happy to "contribute,"

to share my views for free. Put

simply -- the time and effort I expend is quality time donated by me away from those I love so I can share my thoughts to help formulate a better place in this wonderful place we all call "home." The way I see it is simply this -- I have earned the right to ask something of you -- one simple, important request. In the next few weeks before the Election please take the time "alone" to consider the following:

1) Do I feel that this administration has represented me in a fair and compassionate way?

2) Did the Bush administration do its best to prevent the attacks of September 11, 2001?

3) Did they really have enough justification to send our loved ones into harm's way in Iraq where lives are being destroyed every day?

4) Did they lie to get us into war in Iraq?

5) Do I feel safer at home because of their actions?

6) Is the world in general a safer place because of their actions?

7) Is it harder for me to make my bills at the end of each month since they came into office?

8) Do I worry about social security being available to me when I retire?

9) Am I upset that this administration raised the age limit of my ability to retire and draw Social Security funds?

10) Are my children better off in the future for what this administration has done with regards to the economy and national debt while in office?

11) Are my kids going to be entitled to a good education if they or I can't afford to pay for it in terms of loans and grants, etc.?

12) Are my children/grandchildren going to inherit a better country and world after I'm gone when considering everything this administration has done and has yet to do?

13) Does this administration want to preserve the constitution or does it want to rewrite it?

14) Do I want President Bush to pick the new US Supreme Court Justices to replace those aging justices who will surely retire within the next four years?

15) Do I feel confident that I am basing my decisions on truthful information that was acquired in mainstream media?

16) Or should I seek it elsewhere at alternative sources before making my final choice?

17) Do I believe that George W Bush fairly had the right to hold the position of commander and Chief after the US Supreme Court stopped the recounts during the 2000 Election handing him the helm?

18) What will I do if the 2004 Election process is deemed unfair or tainted?

19) Will I accept the results even though I know it was corrupt?

20) Or will I fight for what is right after 228 years of American struggle before me?

These questions were not meant to be difficult or a "hard work" project.

Bush knows a lot about hard work -- he tells us repeatedly that "war is hard work." Perhaps he should take a shot at answering some of the above questions. He might discover that the work gets a bit easier when you're trying to create peace instead of war.

It's tough, but well worth the time spent in order to make the right choice in who leads our country for the next four years. A lot can happen in four short years, and we can all agree that it's not always for the better. The choice we make in a few short weeks can either be a journey into the American dream, or it could quite possibly be our extended twilight-zone nightmare.

The choice is ours to make. We must not give up hope.

Vincent L Guarisco is a freelance writer from Bullhead City, Arizona, a contributing writer for many web sites, and a lifetime founding member of the Alliance of Atomic Veterans. Replies welcomed at vincespainting1@hotmail.com