h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1128/dailyUpdate.html

This is a report of the Iraq situation. The CSMonitor is very fair.
They have been generous with giving credit and praise during the few opportunities possible. They now have this to say

Could be.
Or it could also be outside the circled wagons sniping.

Remember the Tet Offensive?
You can win on the battlefield and lose on the front page.

I don't trust many reporters. Or editors. They created the Iran Hostage Crisis, yellow ribbons and all.

When the tail wags the dog, it doesn't really matter what the eyes on the other end see.

Yep. I cannot whole heartedly deny anything brought up.

It is about time the powers that be admitted they went in without a plan. It just blows me away, I never leave home without a plan.

Oops !
There I go again being hopeful, wishing truth, fairness and forethought could become a policy.

I always hope that what I read will be the truth, but rarely find it in a whole unandulterated form.

I have posted about my view that the press is the real home of world power, woth governments quite often condemned to react to what editors deem important. The editors have of course got their own political agendas, and we are manipulated into following their doctrine.

Still in Iraq I feel that this may be closer to the mark than previously seen. I have heard many tales of poor supply, and more often than you would expect this is the way war is made, poorly supplied, poorly supported, poorly informed troops being sent into battle to fight a poorly planned conflict.

You are right on tone -The press is not widely reporting these facts

Bush is still pushing for approval of up to 35% same ownership of the media in any given market. It is now 23% and that appears to be too much. He is not letting go.

The medicare RX bill passed and cheeres by many ensures the pharmacuetical companies do not have to negotiate for discount group pricing! It does not begin until 2006 and that gives them plenty of time to get those prices higher.

The Energy Bill is trying to be passed again with very little incentive to find new sources of energy. It also protects their finances from some of the taxes which other countries have to pay. The public service comapnies do not have to clean up their acts either.

Bush is also pushing like a mad man for a free trade agreement with Oz! now this scares the sh*t out of most of the Oz faithful, because the US with just absorb us and crush our market! While we are a talented bunch down here we are also only 20 million strong. How do we compete with over 250 million? We can't! The signing of a Free Trade Agreement will kill us! All I see when I see our John Howard and George bush together is Mr.Smithers and Montgomery C. Burns!

MH
(Currently seeing if I can get the monkeys to fly that far for a pre-emptory strike, but it's unlikely, they're a lazy lot at heart!)

I think he is going to drop the steel tarriff now.
Good Luck over there with the rest of the trade deals - you'll need it!

How is the trek going?
Are you back home or wandering?

Naw still out and wandering, or as the OZ indigenous folk say "Gone Walkabout"

MH
(I'm heading North up the east coast getting closer to Queensland! Ask Pimms for directions, he's folowing me by map it seems!)

That sort of thing can do wonders for the head!