The Free Press in the Age of Greed

- Were we naive to believe the free press would always be free to tell us the truth about our government?

- The media has always been beholden to corporate America because that's where they keep the cash. But never before has the media completely rolled over for the benefit of those in control of the US government. Over two centuries ago...Thomas Jefferson and others warned us this may happen. In the following quotes, Jefferson warns us about 'despotic governments' using the free press to promote their lies and hide the truth from the people:

"No experiment can be more interesting than that we are now
trying, and which we trust will end in establishing the fact, that
man may be governed by reason and truth. Our first object should
therefore be, to leave open to him all the avenues to truth. The
most effectual hitherto found, is the freedom of the press. It is,
therefore, the first shut up by those who fear the investigation of
their actions." --Thomas Jefferson to John Tyler, 1804.

"The most effectual engines for are the public papers... government always a kind of standing army of newswriters who, without any regard to truth or to what should be like truth, and put into the papers whatever might serve the ministers. This suffices with the mass of the people who have no means of distinguishing the false from the true paragraphs of a newspaper." --Thomas Jefferson to G. K. van Hogendorp, Oct. 13, 1785. (*) ME 5:181, Papers 8:632

- Jefferson also warned that our government could be 'perverted' to oppress the masses and perpetuate the wealth of a few powerful 'individuals and their families':

"Unless the mass retains sufficient control over those entrusted with the powers of their government, these will be perverted to their own oppression, and to the perpetuation of wealth and power individuals and their families selected for the trust." --Thomas Jefferson to M. van der Kemp, 1812. ME 13:136

- Our national energy and military policies are being written by those who plan on later profiting from those policies. This shameless government has handed out lucrative no-bid contracts to companies and supporters with direct relationships to government officials. Two examples: Halliburton/Brown & Root and the Carlyle Group.

- Next...Jefferson warns of a despotic government that would use 'part of the people to keep the rest in order':

"It is the old practice of despots to use a part of the people to
keep the rest in order; and those who have once got an ascendency
and possessed themselves of all the resources of the nation, their
revenues and offices, have immense means for retaining their
advantages." --Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 1798.

- The Bushies use the media and the 'religious right' to keep the rest of us in order. Using nearly all the resources of the Federal government and the Corporate media...they're attempting to 'brainwash' us into not trusting our own eyes and ears. Jefferson is speaking to us from the grave. Democracy and representative government will cease to exist without an unfettered free press.

- We need to do more than just elect the 'right' politician to lead this country. We must return the free press to the people.

- End. Sat morn rant.