I would say ANY new source you are listening to sometimes distorts the truth.
You just might like some distortions better than others.
________________________________
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on behalf of Miriam Vieni
<miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2017 12:15 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Korea
First, as to demonstrations, I think that anything that can be used as a weapon
by demonstrators, ought to be forbidden. I read that in one location, leftist
demonstrations were forbidden to carry signs on the stated assumption that the
poles on which the signs were mounted, could be used as weapons. That’s a bit
far fetched. But pepper spray? Well, in one demonstration an Anti-Fa
demonstrator used it to defend an elderly person from the White Nationalists.
The issue becomes more clouded when we remember that in Charlttesville, the
police did not protect leftist demonstrators from White Nationalists, nor did
they protect White Nationalists from Anti-Fa attacks. They didn’t do anything
to protect anyone. But if I were in charge in a city, I’d say, “no weapons for
any demonstrators, no guns, sprays, torches, bats, etc., and I’d want the
police to keep the two sides physically separated.
About the scholarships: I’d suggest that who is chosen to receive them and what
kinds of publicity is involved, is related to the kind of propaganda our power
elites choose to put out. There’s tension with North Korea now and that tension
is due to what the US is doing on its borders, to the new missiles installed by
the US in South Korea, to the war games involving the destruction of North
Korea, and to the increasing verbal threats made not only by Trump, but other
government figures. So at this moment in time, we suddenly hear about this
lovely program providing scholarships for North Korean students. We don’t hear
about scholarships for Palestinian students or Iraqi students or Afghani
students or Syrian students or Yemeni students or Somali students. No, because
the power elites are not trying to whip up sympathy for the citizens of those
countries. Another example of how we are being manipulated by “the deep
state”. For several years now, ever since the US decided to foment a coup in
Ukraine so that our investors could take advantage of all its natural
resources, the anti-Russia propaganda has been increasing and then after John
Podesta decided to blame Russia for Hillary’s loss, it’s at fever pitch. So
suddenly there’s this rash of new books, all about Russia. Most of them are
actually about Russia during the Communist era, but if you listen to or read
interviews, you hear authors linking the past with the present, talking about
“the Russian character”. Just look at yesterday’s New York Times book review
section. Only someone who is very credulous would believe that these books, all
written within the past few years, all being released now, is a coincidence.
One more example: Before anyone was talking about invading Afghanistan to
avenge the 9/11 attacks by Saudi Arabians, there was a rash of articles on the
internet about how badly the Taliban treated women in Afghanistan. I remember
seeing those articles and wondering why there were suddenly so many of them.
And, of course, they never mentioned that it was US policy to support the
formation of the Taliban in order to oppose Russia in Afghanistan.
There’s just one other point I’d like to make. We live in a society that likes
to put everything in boxes, categories. So one of the things that is done is to
talk about opinions regarding current events as if they neatly fit into
categories: right wing, centrist, left wing, extremist, etc. And then people,
American people who think that they need to be “fair and balanced”, say, “It’s
important to hear all viewpoints on an issue, the right wing, the left wing,
the centrist, the moderate, etc., as if they were consumers, choosing a
product. But the reality is that there are true occurrences and then these
truths are picked up by the power elites and formed into news stories to be fed
to the public in order to manipulate public opinion to support what the
corporate state is doing. I don’t think that listening to a right wing newscast
or MSNBC is going to help me understand what is really happening. I’m always
trying to discover what the truth really is. Additionally and separately, I
want to know what the public is being told so that I can understand why people
have the opinions they do and vote as they do. But listening to news sources
that I’ve already discovered, regularly distort the truth, isn’t helpful to me.
Miriam
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of MARY CONVY
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2017 10:32 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Korea
It astounds me that Black Lives Matters protests are reported so very
differently than what on the scene live streamers show. And I saw that they
want to pass a law to ban tiki torches, pepper spray, from protests. My first
thought was oh, good the cops can't use pepper spray. Then I realized they
meant the protestors.
However, about Korea, what you say about the Bush administration is true but
again, you should not dismiss reports in the Dallas paper about the
scholarships. I totally believe that is true. You could make a valid point
that he is doing it for show, but I don't think you can assume it is false.
________________________________
From:
blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
on behalf of Miriam Vieni
<miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2017 9:58 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Korea
During the Vietnam War, there was a student demonstration against the war at
Columbia University. My husband and I were listening to a blow by blow
description of it by a reporter on the scene on WBAI which is the New York
station which is part of the Pacifica network, a listener sponsored radio
network. The next morning, I heard a short report about the student
demonstration on CBS. It was as if CBS was describing a totally different event
from the one which had actually taken place. The students, who had actually
been earnest and peaceful, were described by CBS has rowdy, disrespectful, and
aggressive. CBS, like all of the commercial media, was promoting a pro
government, pro war, position.
In 2014, I was a member of an email list that was composed mostly of members of
the small sector of Israelis who want peace and who want a democratic state in
Palestine with all of the people having equal rights. The list owner was an 80
year old woman, originally from America, who had emigrated to Israel. Several
Americans were also list members. So I was receiving first hand information
each day, before and during Israel’s attack on Gaza that summer, about exactly
what was happening in Israel and about all the details of the attack. Aside
from Democracy Now and mondoweiss, the coverage by American news media totally
distorted the reality by providing everything with a bias toward the Israeli
point of view. This included NPR and The New York Times. The New York Times,
which is thought to be an unbiased news source and, “the paper of record”,
almost invariably omits an accurate picture of what is happening in Israel
Palestine.
George W. Bush stopped the attempts during the Clinton administration to reach
an accommodation with North Korea. Like other very wealthy families, charities
set up with money from this family are not charities per se, but instruments to
further policies which will increase the wealth of the family. This Is true of
the Koch Brothers, Bill and Melinda Gates, George Soros, etc. And the State of
Texas, aside from Jim Hightower and Molly Ivens, is, for the most part, a red
state which means that its media promotes an aggressive, America First stance.
So all of this gives me pause when considering that interview that you heard.
I’m not saying that the individual was lying. I’m saying that one needs to
take the information with a grain of salt.
Miriam
From:
blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of MARY CONVY
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2017 8:35 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Korea
from the Dallas Morning News:
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-column/2017/07/31/bush-institute-presents-scholarships-eight-north-koreans
[https://dallasnews.imgix.net/1501516672-yogafest4.jpg?w=1200&h=140&format=jpg&crop=faces&fit=crop]<https://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-column/2017/07/31/bush-institute-presents-scholarships-eight-north-koreans>
Bush Institute presents scholarships to eight North
...<https://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-column/2017/07/31/bush-institute-presents-scholarships-eight-north-koreans>
www.dallasnews.com<http://www.dallasnews.com>
For North Koreans who flee their homeland, life brings new challenges. To help
North Koreans pursue higher education in the U.S. and build...
[https://dallasnews.imgix.net/1501516672-yogafest4.jpg?w=1200&h=140&format=jpg&crop=faces&fit=crop]<https://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-column/2017/07/31/bush-institute-presents-scholarships-eight-north-koreans>
Bush Institute presents scholarships to eight North
...<https://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-column/2017/07/31/bush-institute-presents-scholarships-eight-north-koreans>
www.dallasnews.com<http://www.dallasnews.com>
For North Koreans who flee their homeland, life brings new challenges. To help
North Koreans pursue higher education in the U.S. and build...
________________________________
From:
blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
on behalf of Miriam Vieni
<miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2017 5:04 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Korea
Bush Institute? Is that something funded by the George W. Bush family? What are
the requirements for someone to receive a scholarship? Where do scholarship
recipients come from and where do they study? Who did the interview?
Miriam
From:
blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of MARY CONVY
Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2017 12:44 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Korea
While I was just making my lunch I listened to an interview of a North Korean
college woman. How's that for coincidence. She is studying under a Bush
Institute scholarship for North Korean escapees. I didn't even know they
escaped in any number. Anyway, her father was tortured to death, her two
brothers starved, and she and her mother then escaped. I wonder if that
original article telling of the positives of North Korea are not just as fault
for misinformation as the opposite view. We have to stop the division and
accept the fullness of reality.
________________________________
From:
blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
on behalf of MARY CONVY <CCRUSER@xxxxxxx<mailto:CCRUSER@xxxxxxx>>
Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2017 11:25 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Korea
Someone recently posted an article that the North Korea that exists is not the
same as portrayed by American media. Well, again, a second side to the story.
I recently saw a documentary made by Lisa Ling and the descriptions in the
article were well portrayed. There are events, schools, some activity in the
city but that is reserved for the elite of the party. The vast majority of
the population live very poorly. And all those schools etc. are absolutely
devoid of any free thought or knowledge of the outside. She gained admittance
to North Korea by bringing a team of specialists who would preform cateract
surgery on the blind, an easy procedure here but not available there. They
performed 1000 surgeries in a matter of days. As people had their bandages
removed and could finally see, they immediately went to pictures of their
'leader', kissed it, bowed, and thanked him repeatedly. No thought about the
Americans or why their country has no such surgery. She went into homes of
those 'elites' who have no contact with the outside world, are totally
brainwashed to the point they believe propaganda that America has bombed many
of their cities in recent years and only The Leader can keep them safe. Lisa
had 'handlers' with her at all times.
So yes, America media has presented the story, the whole story. Lisa's sister
was also in North Korea, something to do with her job with Al Gore and was
kidnapped and held for sometime, until Lisa convinced Clinton to make a trip,
kiss leader's ass, and bring the sister home. A young man is in prison for
taking an approved trip to North Korea and took a small sign from their
approved hotel. He is still in prison there. Guess no one knew Clinton. The
Leader threw his brother in law into a cage with pit bulls and watched him
eaten alive. We can't deny the tyranny of the country.
