The Many Faces of US Politics...

Started by Tyrones own, March 20, 2009, 09:29:14 PM

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muppet

#510
Quote from: Tyrones own on July 29, 2010, 08:15:29 PM
No surprise here that the same two lads that each googled and or called my home ph #  :D
would be the ones to jump in with both wellingtons to what was an obvious gaffe...
Caught again lads.....Well done O'Neill :D :D

What is this about? Another fantasy????

Edit: Ah, this the phone number you posted which you said was yours but inevitably wasn't.
MWWSI 2017

Hardy

 
Quote from: Tyrones own on July 29, 2010, 08:15:29 PM
No surprise here that the same two lads that each googled and or called my home ph #  :D
would be the ones to jump in with both wellingtons to what was an obvious gaffe...
Caught again lads.....Well done O'Neill :D :D

That is quite possibly the most bizarre thing I've ever seen posted here.

Sorry - it's DEFINITELY the most bizarre thing I've ever seen posted here.

Tyrones own

Quote from: muppet on July 29, 2010, 08:16:38 PM
Quote from: Tyrones own on July 29, 2010, 08:15:29 PM
No surprise here that the same two lads that each googled and or called my home ph #  :D
would be the ones to jump in with both wellingtons to what was an obvious gaffe...
Caught again lads.....Well done O'Neill :D :D

What is this about? Another fantasy????

Edit: Ah, this the phone number you posted which you said was yours but inevitably wasn't.
Yes exactly....memory suddenly come back then? again well done O'Neill :D
Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.
  - Walter Lippmann

muppet

Quote from: Tyrones own on July 29, 2010, 08:31:44 PM
Quote from: muppet on July 29, 2010, 08:16:38 PM
Quote from: Tyrones own on July 29, 2010, 08:15:29 PM
No surprise here that the same two lads that each googled and or called my home ph #  :D
would be the ones to jump in with both wellingtons to what was an obvious gaffe...
Caught again lads.....Well done O'Neill :D :D

What is this about? Another fantasy????

Edit: Ah, this the phone number you posted which you said was yours but inevitably wasn't.
Yes exactly....memory suddenly come back then? again well done O'Neill :D

Well it is hard to keep up with your fantasies.
MWWSI 2017

magickingdom



magickingdom

speaking of fantasies - Pakistan is trying to get reality going

Clampdown on TV shows peddling conspiracy theories

ROB CRILLY

ISLAMABAD LETTER: Proposed media Bill will stamp out criticism of the government as well as Pakistan's raucous new talk shows, say opponents

THE CIA was responsible for crashing two airliners into the twin towers on 9/11. Indian spies are the hidden hand behind terror attacks blamed on Pakistan. And Islamabad is riddled with Blackwater agents on covert operations.

Every evening millions of people sit down to watch Pakistan's burgeoning number of TV talk shows, which peddle a popular line in conspiracy theories, paranoia and anti-American sentiment.

But now the government is planning a controversial media clampdown to rein in the shock jocks and curb what ministers believe is a dangerous tendency to glamorise terrorism.

The proposed Pakistan electronic media regulatory authority Bill would ban live coverage of militant attacks and the broadcast of anything "defamatory against the organs of the state" – a broad definition opponents believe will stamp out criticism of the government and the raucous new shows.

"There's no doubt about it," said Zaid Hamid, one of the country's most colourful and controversial talk show hosts, "the target is programmes like mine."

The issue cuts to the core of modern Pakistan, an often conservative Muslim society grappling with democracy after a decade of military rule. The government is struggling to contain a growing extremist threat and knows its close relationship with the US puts it at constant risk of a backlash.

Conspiracy theories are popular among a population that views the American-led war on terror with suspicion.

With his red hat and grey goatee, Hamid is one of the most recognisable – and feared – of the new breed of presenter.

He coined the term Hindu Zionist to describe the Israeli and Indian forces he believes are allied in a plot to destabilise Pakistan. And he has repeatedly advocated invading India.

His show, Brass Tacks , which focuses on the country's military establishment, was massively popular with young people but was pulled recently after protests from student groups who believed he was intent on creating a cult of personality.

He is also under investigation in a murder case, allegations he believes are politically motivated.

"I am being lent on all the time by people with a pro-US agenda just because I tell the truth they don't want to hear," he said.

Other controversial figures include Hamid Mir, host of Capital Talk , who is revered as one of Pakistan's most influential journalists. Hillary Clinton and Osama bin Laden are among his interviewees. Indeed, he was the last journalist to interview bin Laden. However, his access to al- Qaeda-linked militants has led many to question whether he is a sympathiser with their extremist position. A tape recording surfaced recently of a phone conversation he is alleged to have had with Jihadi gunmen, apparently urging them to kill a hostage. He claims the tape is faked. The phenomenon is relatively new. Dozens of private channels sprouted during the early 2000s under former president Pervez Musharraf. Today they number almost 100.

As they chase ratings and advertising, the presenters have become more extreme. News shows try to outdo each other with gory images of dead bodies or interviews with militant leaders. The result is a major problem for a government in Islamabad which has belatedly woken up to the threat posed by militant groups to its own existence – after years funding Jihadi organisations in Afghanistan and Kashmir.

Talat Masood, a retired Pakistani general who now works as a political analyst, said the shows were fomenting strong destabilising forces.

"The government doesn't have the political will to say they are on the right course, whether that's about tackling militants or a close relationship with the US.

"That leaves these hosts to operate in a vacuum, and they can develop their own narrative – anti-western, anti-American, anti-government, anti-democracy."

The new government, under President Asif Ali Zardari, had until now been content to leave well alone, hoping self-regulation would be enough as the new industry began to mature. Attempts to introduce voluntary codes of conduct have stalled. Farahnaz Ispahani, a member of the ruling party who sits on the standing committee on information and broadcasting, said the legislation was part of the war on terror, designed to stop militants using the airwaves.

"One view is that the problem is the owners don't give a damn about anything other than ratings, so they want their programmes and news shows to be as sensationalist as possible," she said. "On the other hand, the party believes in media freedom so it's a complicated issue." Offenders could be sentenced to up to three years in jail or a fined a maximum of 10 million rupees (€90,000). That leaves government and media squaring up for a clash. Mazhar Abbas, deputy director of news and current affairs at the ARY channel, said the proposals would be challenged. "The media will not accept any form of suppression from the government," he said.


Tyrones own

Quote from: Hardy on July 29, 2010, 08:24:43 PM
Quote from: Tyrones own on July 29, 2010, 08:15:29 PM
No surprise here that the same two lads that each googled and or called my home ph #  :D
would be the ones to jump in with both wellingtons to what was an obvious gaffe...
Caught again lads.....Well done O'Neill :D :D

That is quite possibly the most bizarre thing I've ever seen posted here.

Sorry - it's DEFINITELY the most bizarre thing I've ever seen posted here.
:-[ that's the best ye could do Hardly? Shoulda quit while Ye were just kinda behind  :-[  :D
Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.
  - Walter Lippmann

muppet

Quote from: Tyrones own on July 29, 2010, 09:30:57 PM
Quote from: Hardy on July 29, 2010, 08:24:43 PM
Quote from: Tyrones own on July 29, 2010, 08:15:29 PM
No surprise here that the same two lads that each googled and or called my home ph #  :D
would be the ones to jump in with both wellingtons to what was an obvious gaffe...
Caught again lads.....Well done O'Neill :D :D

That is quite possibly the most bizarre thing I've ever seen posted here.

Sorry - it's DEFINITELY the most bizarre thing I've ever seen posted here.
:-[ that's the best ye could do Hardly? Shoulda quit while Ye were just kinda behind  :-[  :D

There is no proof that it was a hoax and it seems the jury is out, but then you rarely burden yourself with anything concrete.

We just have to accept Tyrone's Own's word for it, do we?
MWWSI 2017

Tyrones own

Well I've personally seen 5 or 6 versions of the same thing
But with different names etc doing the email rounds back
18 months ago, around the time of the Tina Fay skits but sure
hey... if That black crow is white to save face then so be it  :-\
Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.
  - Walter Lippmann

muppet

Quote from: Tyrones own on July 29, 2010, 10:13:19 PM
Well I've personally seen 5 or 6 versions of the same thing
But with different names etc doing the email rounds back
18 months ago, around the time of the Tina Fay skits but sure
hey... if That black crow is white to save face then so be it  :-\

Well I have met Americans who didn't know Ireland was a country (they thought it was something to do with Notre Dame) but then again I persuaded a guy from home that the Port Tunnel has a roundabout in it.
MWWSI 2017

Tyrones own

#522
Exactly... There are gobshites everywhere that fall for stuff
In trying to be funny
* see top of last page *  ;)
Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.
  - Walter Lippmann

muppet

Quote from: Tyrones own on July 29, 2010, 10:20:52 PM
Exactly... There are gobshites everywhere that fall for stuff
In trying to be funny
* see top of page *  ;)

Wrong page.  ;D
MWWSI 2017

Hardy

Quote from: Tyrones own on July 29, 2010, 09:30:57 PM
Quote from: Hardy on July 29, 2010, 08:24:43 PM
Quote from: Tyrones own on July 29, 2010, 08:15:29 PM
No surprise here that the same two lads that each googled and or called my home ph #  :D
would be the ones to jump in with both wellingtons to what was an obvious gaffe...
Caught again lads.....Well done O'Neill :D :D

That is quite possibly the most bizarre thing I've ever seen posted here.

Sorry - it's DEFINITELY the most bizarre thing I've ever seen posted here.
:-[ that's the best ye could do Hardly? Shoulda quit while Ye were just kinda behind  :-[  :D

When can we expect the Mad Hatter and the March Hare?