That well-deserved truth from an unexpected source could also describe our political landscape ever since financial accountability in politics was thrown out or at least weakened by the Supreme Court in Citizens United.
Tim and Matt made these age-old observations applicable to what’s now happening in Critterville:
1 Timothy 6:10 – For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith [aka the U.S. Constitution], and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Matthew 6:24 – No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
That unexpected source of truth telling by the way was Rupert Murdoch about his own money madness misdeeds.
David Horsey addressed it in his latest op ed Fox News spins lies in the service of greed | The Seattle Times
Horsey concludes his op ed with:
Murdoch and his amoral crew of hypocrites clearly are not in the news business. They are in the business of making gobs of money — “green” — any way they can, even if it devastates American democracy.
It’s a statement that would still ring true if one substituted the words “Murdoch” and “news” with “McCarthy” and “legislative” respectively.
There is a meme on Twitter for the month of March where you need to post a money song daily. Some specific amount of money needs to be in the title or lyrics. Scads of people are playing, and you simply would not believe the completely different songs that have been written on the subject. You would think people were obsessed or something. So far I have contributed: Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes and One Silver Dollar.
Seth takes a closer look at damning details from the billion-dollar defamation lawsuit against Fox News for spreading the baseless conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was rigged against Trump.
two birds one stone
But it is not just Murdoch, every news organization out there is ruled by money. News is a profit center now and we are fed pablum that fits our narrow pov and are rarely challenged. It is all cake and cookies with no veggies or other stuff that is good for you.
Even NPR and PBS do this, they just aren’t as crass as some.
Jack
Murdoch and Trump have something in common, they get away with saying/doing the quiet stuff out loud.
But since it is all cake and cookies, I mean what is not to love.
Party party party
Jack
apologies to early readers for my dyslexic misnaming of the SCOTUS travesty Citizens United (NOT “united citizens” by a long shot as polls over time have shown). As Jack pointed out greed is everywhere but the theme of today’s thread was not just to point out media miscreants, it is to lament what’s happened to Congress where it is more about the green than ever. the wild performances of the crazies are not done just for the limelight but for what that limelight brings in: money, loads of money…. and the media is enjoying feeding at that trough too.
gaetz is a prime example of seeking the spotlight
new dem motto is rep swalwell’s “We’re here to get s*it done.”
swalwell: “That’s why there’s a trust deficit here. You pull off a public stunt to try and own the libs and what you did was you brought in a guy who allegedly shot two people and killed one of them. That’s where the trust deficit is, so you can play your games, conduct your stunts. We’re here to get s*it done.”
And, there are terrible consequences for their constituents when critters make decisions with concern only for pocketbooks and power. Current example: East Palestine, Ohio
****
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/02/politics/willow-project-petition-concessions-biden-climate/index.html
“The Willow Project, proposed by ConocoPhillips, is a massive and decadeslong oil drilling venture on Alaska’s North Slope that the state’s lawmakers say will create jobs and boost domestic energy production.”
“…the approval of Willow will deal a significant blow to President Joe Biden’s climate credibility after he pledged in his campaign to end new oil drilling on federal land.”
“By the administration’s own estimates, the project would generate enough oil to release 9.2 million metric tons of planet-warming carbon pollution a year – equivalent to adding 2 million gas-powered cars to the roads.”
***£€¥$***
“The first thing you know, old Jed’s a millionaire.”
Well, West Virginia has, IMHO, finally lost what little of its mind was still left. Gov. Justice signed the Justice for Senate bill, ummmm, “Senate Bill 10, titled the Campus Self-Defense Act, [which] aims [interesting choice of a word] to allow college students, staff and visitors with valid concealed carry permits to have firearms on campus.” Jim stands by the Second Amendment. Not sure where he stands on a well regulated militia, but I’m guessing it’s pretty clear to him. Make no mistake about it – this is a career move to unseat Joe Manchin in 2024 and has nothing to do with safety on public college and university campuses. Place your bets on when the first shooting on a WV college campus will occur following the 2024 implementation of the law.
Auntie Em
Uncle Henry
Alex Murdaugh Guilty.
Going out to check the trees.
Sixty to seventy mile straight line winds; highest gust was 87 mph.
https://www.wfaa.com/article/weather/dfw-wfaa-radar-weather-updates-north-texas-school-impacts-flight-cancellations-and-delays-power-outages/287-1a87e0b0-b04f-4e60-a10b-0bb50dc455d1
“As severe weather continues to roll through North Texas, Oncor is reporting more than 250K customers are without electricity.”
So far, so good. 🤞🏻
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/02/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-thursday/index.html
“In this instance, the aluminum housing covers melted in the fire caused from the derailment,” a PHMSA spokesperson told CNN.
*Umm, the train was in fire awhile before the derailment.
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/norfolk-southern-eliminated-key-maintenance-role-in-derailment-region-union-says
“Wayside hot-box detectors are typically placed every 25 miles along a railroad, according to a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) report. Their use has contributed to a 59% decrease in train accidents caused by axle- and bearing-related factors since 1990, according to a 2017 Association of American Railroads study.”
“Declining head counts have led to these mechanisms receiving less preventative maintenance, according to an official from the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen union.”
“The FRA has no regulations requiring the use or maintenance of hot-box detectors.”
“It’s unclear if any hot-box detector prior to East Palestine notified crews. A surveillance video shared on Facebook from an industrial facility in Salem, Ohio, about 20 miles from East Palestine, suggests the train’s axle was already on fire.”
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/01/chapter-313-texas-renewables-economic-development/
“I support [the program] not providing economic incentives for renewables,” Abbott said during a news conference in Austin. “There’s already federal incentives for renewable projects, and those will continue to be allowed. As it concerns especially energy and power and the power grid, our focus is on dispatchable power,” such as natural gas or coal.
Greg Abbott is doubling down on his love for fossil fuel money and his hatred for God’s green Earth.
Hey, maybe if we branded our planet “God’s Green Earth,” folks like Greg would have to put up or shut up with their (false) Christianity.
Sturg – I really wish the MSM would stop with the gruesome coverage of murder trials, as well as the cheap-to-make real crime shows. I don’t even want to see the ads.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/02/us/california-embryo-cancer-gene-lawsuit/index.html
“A Southern California couple is suing a fertility clinic for fraudulent concealment claiming they mistakenly transferred an embryo carrying a rare stomach cancer gene and then falsified patient records to cover up the error.”
“…claim their young son now faces the potential of stomach cancer or possible stomach surgery to avoid the rare cancer.”
“The couple is suing the clinic for fraudulent concealment and a violation of California’s unfair competition law, and they are separately arbitrating their claim about transferring the wrong embryo.”
“We trusted them to help us have a healthy baby,” said Melissa Diaz in a news conference.
Nobody wants their kid to be sick, and nothing has happened yet, but isn’t this eugenics? What would this couple do if their child had no genetic mutations, but had a debilitating injury? Prepaid return label?
* “unfair competition law”???
no mentions of money
Good thread. Sorry I missed it.
NEW THREAD