Breaking news: News from four hours ago that was on the Internet three hours and 55 minutes ago.
If you'll be paying attention to the coming election, prepare yourself for an increased level of spin and misleading terms, maybe more than ever before. One reason for this is the particularly extreme field of Republican presidential candidates this election.
The current field includes candidates who:
Had a ranch named Niggerhead and aren't sure President Barack Obama's birth certificate is real (Rick Perry)
Are obsessed with numerology, specifically the number 45 (Herman Cain)
Own anti-gay therapy clinics and believe God speaks directly and specifically to them (Michele Bachmann)
Believe there's a reasonable comparison to be made between bestiality and homosexuality (Rick Santorum)
Have no consistent positions on any issue, beyond saying what seems most politically convenient at that moment in time (Mitt Romney)
Even religious televangelist Pat Robertson said the field is just too outrageous and may result in a Republican loss in November 2012.
How can you avoid the confusion that's sure to crop up? Know the glossary, know the tricks, know the distractions and consider alternatives to mainstream corporate media to supplement - or even replace! - where you're getting your news. There's no shortage, and they're all easy to find.
The Young Turks and RT's The Alyona Show have been providing incredible coverage from Occupy Wall Street over the last weeks. Sam Seder's analysis on Majority Report Radio has been hilarious and incisive. Jay Tomlinson's Best of the Left Podcast has been compiling brilliantly diverse snippets of coverage from a wide group of independent media outlets.
My program, "The David Pakman Show," hasn't been bad either!
As the election draws closer, know that you don't have to be subject to boring analyses from the same non-experts on the three-letter cable news channels and nightly news broadcasts.
Choose wisely, or you might end up watching an exclusive interview conducted by a chief correspondent on the incredible, shocking news story of a pro-family group complaining about violent protesters. If you have the glossary, you certainly won't be falling for that one.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
