...it turns out it was just a 20% off coupon from Bed, Bath and Beyond. But boy, was I scared!




On a more serious note, is anyone really that afraid of this media bullshit/hype about all these bio-terrorism threats? I'm not saying that it should be ignored, but seriously, if this is occupying more than about 2-3 seconds of time in your mind each day...turn the freaking television off!

If you ask me, there may be some loser/malcontent/idiot/never-gets-laid nitwit out there mailing packets of antrhax-infected baby powder out to some people he hates (can we say Unabomber?). But this is so far away from what the media are calling a war being waged by some whacky external force out there...it's almost all media hype designed to make you watch...I hope it's not working on you!


Just a tip from your old friend, Greg (the anti major media guy)



Now back to your regularly scheduled programming...

 

Time will tell

 

ya, we had a local scare... something was between two envelopes...?????... A ****ING LEAF!!!!! This was written in the newspaper today.......

turn the plane around, the pilot's shoe came untied.

I hope that all of this stuff clears up quickly and we can go back to normal news and normal non-paranoid living!

---Scot

 

To get a more balanced perspective one should really read the English version newspapers of some of the other countries involved.

Pakistan
India
Indonesia

..for starters.

 

I got a suspicious letter yesterday. It was post marked from Maine with no return address. It turned out to be a chain letter, of all things. With all this stuff going on, people shouldn't send such things. I only fear God. But while I'm here on earth, I now have to look at my MAIL differently.

 

The point to this thread...(yes, there was a point)...was/is that if you let yourself live in fear of the unknown, in this case, some hard to quantify and identify attacks which will in all likelihood never happen, then you have let this mf'er Sammy bin Laden (look it up, he used to be a big playboy in Saudi Arabia) WIN!

Don't let ANYONE make your decisions for you...!

I have particular grumbles with all the mainstream media and I think they should be ashamed of themselves for their coverage of this and just about everything else they have ever covered.

The bottom line is that if you allow yourself to be manipulated by words on your television, than you have let the terrorists win. I'm not saying that the mass media and bin Laden are equal by ANY stretch of the imagination. But I would say that WAY too many people are just not thinking critically enough and listening to media outlets who are really only interested in getting advertisements and the like into you household, not telling you the facts or the truth of just about any situation. This is no exception...

Ranting...yea....this is a pet peeve of mine.

But if you let yourself become hostage of the things that you hear, you need to rethink the process of those you listen to. This country is a nation of people who fight, not acquiesce. I hope you keep that tradition alive...this is just a small hurdle and one that we will get over. And this is coming from someone who lost a personal friend in the WTC attack.

Part of terrorism is making you fear something...it seems that if you fear anthrax, nothrax, somethrax, whateverthrax, you have let them win in your mind...and that is/was these mf'er's goal all along...

Don't let them win the battles of the minds...

 

Although I agree with you wholeheartedly, Greg. Take it easy. I'm just a little cautious. I, too am tired of the media constantly pounding in our minds "this may be a terrorist act". Thanks to America and all of its other diversions one can enjoy instead of this constant negative barrage. Heck, I just finished listening to the Indians thrash the Mariners 17-2. That was a pleasant diversion. I am deeply sorry for the loss of your friend.

 

In Pakistan and Indonesia, the majority of papers are controlled by the government. The other papers are subject to censorship and shutdown at the government's whim.

Why would reading the propaganda from these governments give us a more balanced perspective? The U.S. media repeats every word issued by the Taliban and Bin Laden as though it was from God's lips; it's not as though both sides aren't reported as though they were equally credible.

My 3 cents.
Tanq

 

Please don't confuse what I was saying with the oppressive thrid world regime types of journalism. I am referring to the incessant, panic-instilling, fear-installing lunacy that 24/7 anthrax-obsessed DOMESTIC coverage will do to you.

Free press is a great thing...I have a degree in media studies...but I don't think they are the only holders of truth. The fact of the matter is that people need to think critically and for themselves. Letting the mass media do the thinking for you is a dangerous path...that's my only point.

My perspective on the major news media is that it's designed to do two things, even though the gatekeepers of truth say otherwise...it's designed to make you THINK that you what you hear/see is important/relevant to your life...and secondly, it's desgined to provide a conduit of advertising inside of which it can sell it's "customers" products. Period...

On that basis alone, it should be distrusted...or at the very least questioned...that's all I'm asking for. I mean, seriously, did we really need 24 hour coverage of the JFK jr plane crash? How long did that go on for? No, that wasn't war, but it's the same mentality that is driving this ridiculous, fear-instilling nonesense...

That's all I'm saying...that you should MORE than listen to those who are tellng you thing. You should listen to their interests and who vests them.

Sure things are a little different now that we are at war, but that doesn't change much as it relates to those program managers who decide to air story after story about anthrax...it's just begging for a little perspective...which no one is getting!

Yes, this is a continued rant... :0

 

Ok....let's see.....approximately 6000 people LOST their lives because they happened to show up for work, depart for or return from a vacation, or show up to rescue those in life-threatening need, etc.. People on this board would now have us to believe that Americans are paranoid due to media rhetoric regarding at least six persons testing positive for anthrax exposure and one DEATH from the disease prior to this so-called rhetoric. Now, we're being told by persons living in countries that have yet to experience first hand, the most recent terroristic BULLSHIT to read papers from Pakistan and Indonesia for a better perspective.

Am I the only one that thinks the world is totally ****ED UP?????