America’s musicians sure are active lately putting their political opinions to song. Another is the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. In their song “World Wide Suicide,” lead singer Eddie Vedder speaks of a world where “war has taken over.” He suggests that the president takes for granted that soldiers will serve in our armed forces all financed by “checks that others pay.”

Vedder also mocks the president’s religious beliefs: “Tell you to pray, while the devil’s on their shoulder.”

What follows are the lyrics to this piece and a video link to a live performance on “Saturday Night Live.” 

The big economic news going into the weekend was the strongest quarterly gross domestic product growth since the summer of 2003. Spectacular news by any measure, but you wouldn’t know it from the way the media reported it. NBC’s David Gregory quickly dismissed the significance of the strong report on April 28: “But with gas prices also surging … the country isn't celebrating.”

ABC’s “World News Tonight” decided to delay its discussion of this good news to inform viewers about conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh’s “arrest,” while the CBS “Evening News” didn’t bother reporting GDP data at all on the April 28 show.

The New York Times quickly downplayed the news by stating the economy will soon be “slowed by high energy prices, rising interest rates and a softer housing market.” And, The Washington Post poured cold water on the announcement by quoting a leading Democrat who said of these numbers that this was “‘cold comfort to working Americans faced with the reality of struggling to pay their bills.’”

None of this should come as a surprise. It’s actually a trend the Free Market Project has followed, which has shown the media downplaying strong numbers while playing up weaker reports.

Despite the negative media coverage, the economic news was striking. As reported by Bloomberg:

Imagine you're a US Senator. A citizen has just suggested that a former CIA Director and named FBI agents merit the death penalty as much as convicted terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui. Do you:

A. condemn such an outrageous comment?
B. move on to another topic?
C. congratulate the citizen for making "an absolutely accurate point"?

If you're Joe Biden [D-DE], the answer, incredibly, is 'C'.

Here's how it went down. In a 'Hardball' devoted to reactions to today's jury decision giving life in prison to Moussaoui, both Rudy Giuliani and Biden had expressed regret that Moussaoui hadn't been given the death penalty, in light of the fact that he knew of but failed to disclose the 9/11 plot.

The May 8th issue of "U.S. News and World Report" featured an article about high gas prices. Now, the fact that a news magazine would look at the rising cost of gas is not a surprise. But, that a magazine would dedicate a section to interviewing someone who served in the gas line plagued Carter Administration about what the solution to high gas prices is, does come as somewhat of a surprise. Does U.S. News and World Report forget the oil shortages under the Carter Administration. Does the magazine forget the "odd" and "even" licence plates?

The article in question appeared on page 26 and was entitled "Why a Gas Tax is Good For You." The article contained three softball questions at gas tax proponent Philip Verleger, who served in the Carter Treasury Department.

Time's special issue on the 100 most influential people is a bit of promotional popcorn, allowing celebrities and statesmen to praise each other for their brilliance and good works (for example, Les Gelb flatters Condi Rice, Condi Rice flatters Oprah, Oprah flatters author Elie Wiesel). So it shouldn't be surprising that the magazine that made endangered Earth its "Planet of the Year" and used to beg routinely for punishing gas tax hikes allowed Al Gore to both be praised and offer praise on planetary matters. "There could hardly be a more opportune time for the country to be giving Gore another look," cooed the magazine.

A “liberal” culprit on Wednesday's Law & Order on NBC? On tonight's episode, “the Chief of Staff to a liberal politician” seems “to be responsible for tipping off” a reporter about the identity of an undercover cop who is then murdered. The politician is the fictitious “Congressman John Prescott,” played by “guest star David Forsyth.” So, that's unlike how Law & Order's sister program, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, a year ago portrayed then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, by name, as a hero to white supremacist gun nuts suspected of murdering two judges, one of them black, and who had expressed the view that the white woman judge who was murdered was a "race traitor." When the ballistics on the bullet which killed the black judge showed it was fired by the same rifle which was used to kill the white judge, New York City Police Department "Detective Alexandra Eames" suggested to her fellow detectives and an Assistant District Attorney: "Maybe we should put out an APB for somebody in a Tom DeLay T-shirt." For a full transcript of the scene, MP3 audio as well as Real and Windows Media video, check the May 26, 2005 MRC CyberAlert.

A few weeks ago, the pollsters for NBC and The Wall Street Journal asked this question: "If thousands of immigrants in the U.S. do not show up for work on May 1st in protest of immigration policy, do you think this will do more to help their cause, do more to hurt their cause, or have no real effect either way?" Fifty-seven percent said it would hurt their cause. Only 17 percent said it would help.

But that point is being roundly and deliberately ignored by the national media. Tossed and turned by internal diversity police who demand a greater minority presence and minority consciousness in the newsrooms, those who report the “news” are doing their level best to ensure that the protesters for “immigrant rights” get the best possible publicity boost.

In the face of continuously poor ratings, liberal fans of MSNBC host Keith Olbermann are teaming up to support their hero.

The liberal group MoveOn.org got in on the act earlier this year as it urged its membership to watch Olbermann's "Countdown" program in celebration of its third anniversary at the end of March.

The effort didn't seem to help much as a look at the ratings data indicates.

Much more at Olbermann Watch.

Reuters reports that in a survey of ten countries, citizens of the U.S. and England have a low regard for the media.

Britain may have a sophisticated media industry but it also has some of the most sceptical consumers, with nearly two-thirds (64 percent) believing the media does not report all sides of the story.

A 10-country opinion poll for Reuters, the BBC and the Media Centre found British and U.S. consumers out on a limb when it comes to public levels of trust in the media.

Overall trust in the media in Britain has bounced back over the past four years, from a low of 29 percent trusting in 2002 to 47 percent today. But this is still below the 10-country average of 63 percent.

There is a genuine laugher in the NYT this morning, attempting to address the current oil price fiasco. Kate Phillips and Julie Bosman have thrown together a slipshod piece of clichéd rhetoric, restrained disbelief and ignorance of basic economic principles so egregious, it would make any alleged informational “smokescreen” put out there by “Big Oil” seem a petulant effort by contrast.

First, the header. “SYMPATHY AS HARD TO FIND AS OIL.” Please. Oil is not hard to find - this is merely hyperbole. There are at least one million barrels per day that the nation is not utilizing thanks to the (Democrat) environmental lobbyists’ ongoing efforts to stop and restrain oil drilling and exploration in ANWR and off the Gulf Coast. I guess sympathy is easy to find then, no?

All together now…awwwwwwww. 

What a shame. After a number of dismal weeks scraping the bottom of the ratings barrel – as well as numerous changes in time slot positioning, personnel restructurings, and bucket-loads of advertising dollars – the “let’s hope life will imitate art,” and much ballyhooed ABC television series “Commander in Chief,” has finally been yanked from the airwaves.

I guess those folks over at the Golden Globe were more impressed with Geena Davis in the role of president than the voters. Just imagine an awards organization having a different view of reality than the people. Tough to believe, isn’t it.

Sadly, it’s true. According to Reuters:

When Washington Post reporters try to deny they work for a liberal newspaper, you can also cite stories like Peter Baker's Wednesday story on Bush "inconsistency" over a Spanish version (or blurry rewrite) of the National Anthem. You might call it the Span-them. Baker doesn't see controversy in the Spanish singers changing all the lyrics around, or wondering whether illegal immigrants are insulting the vast English-speaking majority. No, the controversy is all from the viewpoint (and the research) of the "Center for American Progress," a Clintonoid think tank/oppo project.

Baker claimed "all sides are scrutinizing the words and records of the president and other politicians for signs of inconsistency," but he was much more interested in the liberal side.

Exxon-Mobil: private-for-profit corporation or social service agency? The question arises in the wake of Matt Lauer's wide-ranging interview this morning with Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of Exxon/Mobil. Lauer's tone was not antagonistic; for that matter he was manifestly grateful to Tillerson for being the lone CEO among the Big Oil companies to accept an invite from "Today." Still, there was some bad economics on display, along with a notable attempt by Lauer to make the GOP look like ingrates to an industry with which they've been cozy. Tillerson put in a solid, undefensive performance.

Here are highlights:

Lauer: "Critics say the big oil companies crushed the competition and they are manipulating the prices. What is the truth?"

On Tuesday's Countdown show, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann attacked the Bush administration over the leak of Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA agent, implying that the President has "done more to help terrorists and rogue states than hurt them," as he linked Plame's work on WMD to the current standoff with Iran. But Olbermann had previously not expressed worries about threats to national security from other leakers, instead referring to them as "whistleblowers," including those who leaked the CIA's use of secret prisons in Europe, and the existence of the controversial NSA spying program.

Olbermann opened the Tuesday May 2 Countdown show: "The irony was already inescapable and infuriating. In the middle of a war that started over nonexistent weapons of mass destruction, the administration of President George W. Bush was willing to destroy the cover of a secret American agent on the trail of actual weapons of mass destruction in order to deflect criticism over how badly it had fouled up or puffed up its wobbly evidence about phony weapons of mass destruction." (Complete transcript follows)

Fox News Channel was bound to succeed and did so even faster than its founding president Roger Ailes imagined.

That's just one of several interesting statements made in a recent interview by Roger Ailes, president and founder of FNC with WorldScreen.com:

WS: When the channel first launched, did you expect it would overtake the competition as quickly as it did?

AILES: I try not to get into any race or any fight that I don’t think can be won. I don’t expect it to be easy, however, and that’s the difference. I don’t do suicide missions, but I don’t mind difficult assignments. This was a difficult assignment, because we were taking on G.E. and Microsoft [MSNBC] and Time Warner [CNN] with about 30 percent of the resources and staff. So it was a pretty tough hill to climb. I thought we would tie them in five to six years.

Normally I just tolerate the cartoon and never laugh but this latest cartoon was trying to portray Couric and Meredith as two blonde bimbos fevered with a Bushhate mentality but no intelligence

.... your party since Bush's slide down his mountain of 74% approval, has used this to conveniently explain the rest of the nation that is getting really tired of the way things are going!

The cartoon was not funny. Your cartoon shows how this site of "conservative" idealogues has developed this victim/cornered animal  pscyche.  You've been playing this Bushhate song ever since I  just curiously started observing here. I've continually noticed this  theme with the loyal sheep bah bahing in unison.

I must commend  how this site has attracted a good representation of  neoconservative thinking ! These loyal bloggers appear to want to loyally follow  the Great Bush as he sinks deep into the depths of embarassing history (revisionist or just the facts Jack!)

Eight medical groups have recognized that abortion increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. Twenty-eight of 37 worldwide studies have linked induced abortion with breast cancer. This dangerous link was first suspected back in 1957, and recent studies continue to report the life-threatening risk.

Yet in the last several months, Glamour magazine has twice attempted to deny such a link to its readers. Its most recent effort is a May 2006 article, "The New Lies About Women's Health" by Brian Alexander (WARNING: Photo of rear female nudity). What medical personnel does Glamour cite for its article? People such as Dr. Herb Brown (.pdf file), who has been medical director at Planned Parenthood of San Antonio. Geesh. Conflict of interest, anyone?

As picked up by the DrudgeReport, an AFP dispatch from Greece on Tuesday recounted how left-wing actor Tim Robbins, “at a news conference in Athens promoting his stage version of George Orwell's 1984,” blasted President Bush's policies and the news media for ignoring Bush's supposed crimes. “We have right now a media that is willfully ignoring the high crimes and misdemeanors of the President of the United States," Robbins charged. He lamented that “Clinton lied about a blowjob, and got impeached by the media and Congress," while Bush “got us into the [Iraq] war based on lies that he knew were lies....yet no one in the media is calling for impeachment."

The un-bylined May 2 AFP dispatch from Athens added that “Robbins pointed out similarities between current U.S. policies on terrorism and the authoritarian society described by Orwell” in his 1984 novel: “'Unfortunately, the book and the play is more relevant now than it ever has been,' he said. '(It) talks about continuous warfare as a means to control the Western economy, and as a way to control rebel elements within society through the use of fear, constant fear.'" Citing the “renditioning of innocent people without trial,” Robbins asserted: “This is exactly what Orwell was talking about when he spoke of thought crimes." (With link to video of earlier call for Bush's impeachment)

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