Swiftboating

Wikipedia defines this word as:
"... American political jargon that is used as a strong pejorative description of some kind of attack that the speaker considers unfair or untrue -- for example, an ad hominem attack or a smear campaign.

The term comes from the Swift Vets and POWs for Truth (formerly "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth") (SBVT)) and that group's widely publicized campaign against 2004 US Presidential candidate John Kerry.

Originally, terms like "swiftboating", "Swift Boating", "Swift Boat tactics", etc. were mostly used by people who disapproved of the Swift Vets and POWs for Truth. It is now in mainstream use. Some American conservatives have strongly objected to the criticism of SBVT implied by such negative usage."

Moving along.

Those intellectual giants from "the right" (Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh) among others are attempting to Swiftboat our President's healthcare legislation.

Wanna know why in my opinion they can? Because the compliant and consolidated television media will rarely expose the "transgressions" of anyone".

Broadcasters and cable networks do not provide investigative documentaries, or challenge anyone in any way. Americans need to have things like health care put into a context and it never happens.

If news content is delivered by four broadcast networks -- most television is owned by industrial giants such as The General Electric Company, Time Warner, Viacom, News Corporation, and lest we forget, the Walt Disney Company -- and cable news is primarily delivered by many of the same companies that deliver broadcast news, do you think the system is fair?

I am inclined to ask: "How does the truth about health care reach the public? or does the truth in fact ever reach the public?" The answer, (drum roll please) is that it doesn't.

Americans desperately need all of the pillars of journalistic integrity at NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, FNC, CNN, and MSNBC to put the health care issues in perspective for their viewers and expose the lies and swiftboating that is going on.

The swiftboating of our President and his policies should not be allowed to remain unchallenged by the News People at all networks (except Fox.)

In a repetitious conclusion:

This is all very disturbing to me.

The issue appears not to be health care at all but rather a new Swiftboat scenario.

"They" will say and do whatever, and truth and accuracy do not seem to count for very much.

As and until the electronic media calls "them" on their lies and deceptions they will keep at it.

Lying about things is so omnipresent in our society that when the liar is caught in one, it means nothing.

I will share a small personal experience about lying.

About thirty five years ago my boss John Mitchell at Columbia Pictures lied to me about something that was very important; I found out about it. I confronted John with what I knew and he about died.

I insisted we see "the big boss" Jerry Hyams. In the midst of telling Jerry how upset I was about the lie. Hyams turned to Mitchell and said with aplomb, "John, I told you he would find out."

I about died.

Lying is not okay!

I might ask the same thing of Palin, Gingrich, and Limbaugh among many others; Is lying about stuff acceptable to you? And how about:

Morality?

Ethics?

Reasonableness?

Honesty?

Where do you go to find that among the extreme right wing Republicans?

While it has little if anything to do with the subject at hand I will now close with a quote from the memorable motion picture Airplane, a movie that makes more sense than the health care debate:

Rumack: I won't deceive you, Mr. Stryker. We're running out of time.

Ted Stryker: Surely there must be something you can do.

Rumack: I'm doing everything I can... and stop calling me Shirley.