Outed Agent and the Cancelled Election: My Friend Figures Out the Media

[GiovanniC]

FINALLY.

I am not a psychic.

You know, that's not a tune that most people have to sing in their daily lives, but I have had to inform more and more people of that fact these days.

The problem is, I knew about Valerie Plame six months before NBC or CNN did. Bob Novak ran his article endangering the lives of countless CIA agents and their operatives and informants. Joe Wilson cried foul.

In a related story, a tree fell in the woods. Nobody heard.

But I read it on DU, and I researched it, and I told everyone who would listen.

Half a year later, it was breaking news.

And I had to tell people those five words: "I am not a psychic."

About two and a half weeks ago, DeForest Soaries started making rumblings about cancelling or postponing the election. Then Tom Ridge talked about it again last week. I wrote a letter to the editor about it, even. Only now is it starting to appear in the news, leading CNN this morning. And my best friend, who's just now finding out about this stuff, wonders how I know.

Thinks I'm psychic or something.

I explain to him that the media is for shit these days. He asks why things are the way that they are -- is the media withholding this information? What's going on?

I explain it the best way I know how:

"Look, I knew about this stuff. The information is out there. So if NBC and CNN and the New York Times and the local newspaper don't know about these things, then they aren't doing their jobs. And if they know about these things and they're not reporting them, then they're still not doing their jobs. So take your pick."

He gets it now. I think he thought I was crazy before. Either that, or psychic.

[NewHampshireDem]

1. I hear you on that ...

It amazes me how once a story breaks on CNN, NBC, etc. it's old news to most of us who get our news here or on Buzzflash, AlterNet, or Guerilla News ... not to mention mags like MoJo.

Of course, you ought to tell your friend you are psychic ... there's got to be money in it somehow :)

[proud patriot]

2. I know the feeling

I have "A political" friends who couldn't understand
why I was spending my life reading current events ,
they have called me "obsessive". Well after watching F911
they have approached me with more understanding then
before .

[prolesunited]

3. We've long been ahead of the media

at DU. I used to tell people all sorts of things and they thought I was wearing my tinfoil too tight. That is, until they started hearing the same thing repeated in the mainstream media.

Now, they come to me when they have questions and want the truth. However, there is one co-worker who won't talk to me anymore. She said I scared her too much. I guess putting your fingers in your ears and saying "lalalala" is always an option.

If they were smart (or lazy), reporters could get all sorts of scoops off of DU, where we know the news before it happens.

[chiburb]

6. I only met you once...

But you scared me too! Lalalalalalala!

;-)

[prolesunited]

9. Hahaha!

I hope you meant that in the nicest way. :-)

We need to do another gathering, don't you think?
How about an outdoor thing for the dog days of August?

[chiburb]

10. I don't do "hot and humid" too well...

But yes, another gathering soon would be a GREAT thing!

(And of course I meant that in the nicest way...)

[Akbar]

4. I'm Having Similar Experiences These Days

What I don't get is you have all these people in the media who are supposed to be knowledgeable and be watching what's going on and they are just so slow on the uptake. They watch the same State of the Union speech as the rest of us and it takes them over a year to start figuring out Bush was lying?

I'm no expert on world affairs and politics, but I can't understand why people like Tim Russert have such difficulty figuring out what's plainly obvious to so many of us.

I guess I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and surmise that perhaps they probably are a little mentally slow.

[tom_paine]

8. All of us who recognize Imperial Amerika as Totalitarian are having this

experience.

We ARE NOT psychics. But we see history repeating, and a particular segment of history that was grotesquely predictable.

By applying the Simple Rules of Totalitarianism, we can terefore predict the future or easily determine which item that start out as tinofil are true later on.

It has also happened to me and 1000s of others, I'm sure.

[SoCalDem]

11. They are not "slow"...they just have a vested interest

in NOT rocking the boat.. They report what they are TOLD to report.. The "news" is filtered and checked to see what impact it will have on the parent company first, and then it "may" get dribbled out to the "on-air prompter readers"...

Make no waves ...that's the media motto these days

[theivoryqueen]

5. same thing - no one believed the possibility of cancelled elections

last week when I mentioned the memos - but today, all of a sudden I am soooo smart. Why? Most people only look to standardized news outlets for content. And they are left out of many noteworthy happenings.

[lukasahero]

7. Know the feeling

I mentioned the possibility of "postponing" the election several months ago to my SO and he actually came out and called me a conspiracy theorist. It'll still be a week before he picks up on this story (he's bright but he ain't quick ;) ) but when he finally does I'll just smile and nod. :)

[smiley_glad_hands]

12. Haven't been called psychic yet---

but something will happen and I will tell a friend that I knew about that weeks or months ago, or I will mention something and they will think I'm crazy, but later on when the media finally picks it up I am exonerated. The media sux, DU rulz! Thank God for the Internet!

[TrustingDog]

13. I know the feeling...

some topics that I brought up regularly on another board, months before it broke on major news, just to be called a conpiracy nut with my tinfoil on too tight:

1. Enron involvement in the California energy crisis
2. Votescam (thanks Bev, your story last July made it all legit.)
3. Unocal and Afghanistan

One other that I haven't looked much into lately is.....
Chemtrails...... ooooooo. That one makes them go Crazy. lol.

[Cassandra]

14. I told a Republican friend about BBV when Bev first started...

talking about it here. This past April, my friend clued me in to the Vanity Fair article and apologized for calling me a conspiracy nut. And no, she's not voting for Bush.

[rman]

15. what's going on: see "Manufacturing Consent"

"Manufacturing Consent, Chomsky and the media"
a documentary, a collection of lectures and interviews by Noam Chomsky
it's out there on the net via bittorrent, free to distribute for educational purposes.

a book with a similar title:
"Manufacturing Consent: a propaganda model"
is company to the documentary; a transcript with many additions and background info. everything that Chomsky says and writes is sourced.

when you're done with that you might want to read
"Understanding Power"
also by Noam Chomsky
More then half the book is end notes with source references and additonal info, free online at www.understandingpower.com.

according to an anonymous reviewer:
"Every pretentious comment you heard but never believed is documented here, in full."

Chomsky is institute professor of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT, and political activist. According to Bono of U2 “a rebel without a pause, the Elvis of academia.”
According to Chomsky the core issue is "private control over resources versus public control over resources".

[Nadienne]

19. I just finished reading

Hedgemony or Survival. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[jokerman93]

16. Last year as the war began

I was already reading DU on a daily basis. At the time I had no idea how ahead of the curve this board is though. I never watch cable news unless I have to. It's dumbed down so much it grates my nerves.

Now this is true. I was almost fired because my co-workers all thought I was cracking up. I gradually began to realize how crazy-radical my solidly liberal common sense political views have come to be seen by many Americans. That was a reality check for me, when I realized we are so far into brainwashed society that the myth of 1950's is seem downright idyllic to me!

Things are getting better now. I've shut up, though I won't get that year back.

[DeepModem Mom]

17. A friend I talk to has gone from not being interested in "politics"...

when I would talk about the Bush cabal to full-time work in a primary campaign, a radio appearance, letter writing that could negatively impact a spouse's career, and contributing every spare dollar to John Kerry. Even though my friends are Democrats, they thought for a long time that I was nuts. Now they admit that I "knew it" from the beginning -- from December, 2000.

[Blue Gardener]

18. Thank you DU!

You are a sanctuary. And thanks to all of you who post here for keeping Democracy alive. I try to get people to pay attention to what is going on, but unfortunately many of them can't be bothered to find out what is going in on this country. It is very sad indeed.

[Karenina]

20. I too am not a "psychic"

but I played one on an L.A. phone service. It's all about simply PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION to what people say. Yes, there is an element of intuition and empathy, but mostly folks will tell you the truth in whatever convoluted way if you take care to LISTEN.

The PNAC folks have been telling us the UNVARNISHED TRUTH about their intentions. They even out 'em out on a site ANYONE who has the capability can read. :eyes:

I get many too many phone calls from people telling me in astounded voices, YOU WERE RIGHT! FUCK THAT!!! I DON'T WANT TO BE "CORRECT IN MY PREDICTIONS." PUHLEEEEESE WAKE UP AND MAKE ME WRONG. THAT would make me happy. :-(

[Aunt Anti-bush]

21. My family turns to me for their news now.

They all think I am "psychic", too!

:headbang: