The Domesticated Primate

After the recent reports of a terrorist plot that has been foiled, I saw some commentary on a bulletin board in which they were wondering how real the plot really was (I have to admit my first reaction was to wonder how the Bush administration would exploit this, even if it is real, since the only thing the Republicans seem to have an edge on is fear - well until I saw this recent poll. Now I wonder what they win in the polls on now?). They referenced the excellent documentary The Power of Nightmares.

It seems the library doesn't have this, but Google video does. I highly recommend this. Kudos to BBC on putting together a wonderful, thorough documentary on the rise of neocons and Islamism. I wonder if Fox News would ever tell you that Al Qaeda was the name that the American government gave to OBL's little group? I wonder if they would tell you that Al Qaeda is apparently barely even real?

Apparently BBC has the guts to do so. I wonder if they have reactionaries in Britain that are always clamoring to yank the rug out from under BBC's feet when documentaries like this are created? We have nutty Republicans here that want to whack PBS/NPR when they even get a slight whiff of "liberalism" (what others might refer to as "objectivity" - when it speaks truth to power, anyway. If you aren't mouthing what the power structure wants you to, you must be "liberal", even if the facts are on your side.) on PBS or NPR.

Again, kudos, and I cannot recommend enough. The British still seem to have some semblance of a participatory democracy - witness Blair having to take the heat from actual citizens, not doing a walk-on at a staged event like our "leaders" do. They also seem to have kept the idea of real analysis in their media, as well.

Man, what I would give for an ala carte cable system that let me boot Faux News, MSNBC, CNN and similar right-wing nonsense for a few BBC channels - and not "BBC America", either.