MSM: Squealer Incarnate

Often, in order to define or understand some modern-day phenomenon, it is instructive to refer to the writings that have withstood the test of time.

It is hard to imagine a more appropriate and revealing application of that truism than the use of George Orwell's Animal Farm to illustrate what is going on in America today.  The parallels between Orwell's characters and the current elements of government, other political institutions, and assorted enablers are eerily and precisely striking.  It is almost as if Orwell was sitting at a keyboard only yesterday, writing about a  21st century farm, America, instead of at a typewriter in 1943-44, addressing the Russian Revolution of some ninety years ago.

Although it would be a highly interesting exercise to identify and thoroughly develop the 2009 characters, my intent is to only provide the definitive answer to an exercise generated by Bernard Goldberg a few days ago, namely, what the best name for today's media, which clearly no longer is reflective of main stream America.

Well, Mr. Goldberg, I submit for your consideration the term Squealer Incarnate, or Squealer for short, as the perfect name for the collective socialism enablers at NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, CNN, AP, NY Times, Washington Post, etc.! etc.! etc.!

The evidence to support my recommendation follows in the form of character descriptions from two sources.  I have bold-ed the parts of their descriptions/summaries that I feel are particularly pertinent:

• From *sparknotes :

          "Squealer

          Throughout his career, Orwell explored how politicians manipulate language in an age of
           mass media. In Animal Farm, the silver-tongued pig Squealer abuses language
           to justify Napoleon’s actions and policies to the proletariat by whatever means
           seem necessary. By radically simplifying language—as when he teaches the   
           sheep to bleat “Four legs good, two legs better!”—he limits the terms of debate. 
           By complicating language unnecessarily, he confuses and intimidates the 
           uneducated, as when he explains that pigs, who are the “brainworkers” of the 
           farm, consume milk and apples not for pleasure, but for the good of their 
           comrades. In this latter strategy, he also employs jargon (“tactics, tactics”) as 
           well as a baffling vocabulary of false and impenetrable statistics, engendering in 
           the other animals both self-doubt and a sense of hopelessness about ever 
           accessing the truth without the pigs’ mediation. Squealer’s lack of conscience 
           and unwavering loyalty to his leader, alongside his rhetorical skills, make him   
           the perfect propagandist for any tyranny. Squealer’s name also fits him well: 
           squealing, of course, refers to a pig’s typical form of vocalization, and Squealer’s 
           speech defines him. At the same time, to squeal also means to betray, aptly 
           evoking Squealer’s behavior with regard to his fellow animals."

• From:  GO Work : Summaries and Interpretations : Animal Farm

           "Squealer: Squealer is an intriguing character in Orwell's Animal Farm.  He's first 
           described as a manipulator and persuader.  Orwell narrates, "He could turn 
           black into white."  Many critics correlate Squealer with the Pravda, the Russian
           newspaper of the 1930's.  Propaganda was a key to many publications, and since 
           their was no television or radio, the newspaper was the primary source of media 
           information.  So the monopoly of the Pravda was seized by Stalin and his new
           Bolshevik regime.  In Animal Farm, Squealer, like the newspaper, is the link 
           between Napoleon and other animals.  When Squealer masks an evil intention of 
           the pigs, the intentions of the communists can be carried out with little 
           resistance  and without political disarray.  ..."

I suggest that every concerned American read, or re-read, Animal Farm, or at least go to one of these sites and brush up on what George Orwell was saying about totalitarian governments.

And start calling the "MSM" Squealer - it will get under their skin, I'll bet!

Joe Wilson's Truth

Joe Wilson's only mistake was that he didn't keep talking while he had the floor - he should have spelled out the details until forcibly removed or gagged. Even the Mangy Socialist Media (MSM) would have switched the focus to him just to get it on tape. Those few who were watching for their, seemingly, hourly dose of socialist doctrine would have at least heard some truth, in that evening of studied avoidance of such. 

Note: This was the moment in time which forever established the ultimate nickname for our current president. There are a lot of very creative manipulations of the name that he has chosen to go by, and most of them reveal a solid statement on his character or ideology. But, forever, the term ”staring like a deer caught in the headlights” will carry a mental image of Obama’s face at that point in time. Henceforth, he should rightfully be known as Obambi, which many have used before, but which now has the imprimatur of the House chamber and national television cameras.  

Obambi's response to Mr. Wilson's contention: staring around for Saul Alinsky or Soros or Ayers, as if to say "You didn’t tell me what to do when someone actually stands up during my speeches and correctly points out that I am lying. What do I do now?” Finding none of them present in the chamber, he abjectly looks to the teleprompter, but no help there, either.  

At least he had his wits about him enough to not look toward Heaven for Alinsky, or to turn around for consultation with Ghoul Pelosi or Bilious Biden. I thought for a moment he was going to take the Jeremiah Wright approach, requesting the Almighty to strike down this white American who was telling the truth, and just as he was on a roll with his tapestry of lies! 

Then, he remembered just in time that God won’t listen to a person who champions the murder of babies just as they enter the world. More importantly, he realized that he would lose the support of a few million liberals just for pretending to acknowledge that there is a God. Can’t take a chance on shrinking that base!  

Now, all of that thought processing might have taken the average citizen several seconds to sort through, but this is a really smart man, as we are constantly reminded by the Sqealers and elitists of all stripes. In a few blinks of an eye, he went through all those possibilities and came to the perfect answer. He calmly looked toward his accuser and semi-forcefully mumbled “not true.” 

That is what liberals think of as a brilliant put-down, and he didn’t even have to use foul language, which, of course, further strengthened their view of him as the greatest statesman of our time (maybe forever, but, then, Stalin is a formidable standard for them). They will also sing odes one day to the way he picked right back up on reading his tele-prompted speech after the rabble-rouser Wilson was put in his place.  

Of course, one can’t blame Mr. Wilson for not grabbing the opportunity and running with it. He may very well have been looking around himself to see who had dared utter such truth, especially in a chamber that has witnessed so little of that commodity for a half century or more. After all, it is repugnant to think of a member of this venerated House (of ill repute) who doesn’t strive to live up to the decorum and moral standards of the likes of Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, Sheila Jackson-Lee, John Murtha, Jerrold Nadler, just to name a few of our courtly representatives. And to think that in this room have sat the tainted (er, I mean sainted) Traitor Ted Kennedy, Chuck "Slimeball" Schumer, John McCain (the Benedict Arnold of conservatism), Lindsey “Can I Find a Way to Compromise on Principles so I Can Look Powerful” Graham, and a host of other craven power seekers.  

How can one possibly be so crass as to soil the haunts of that bunch of sycophants and toadies? They, and others, will lead the charge to brand Joe Wilson as something other than “truth teller,” and there is no doubt in my mind that they will herd together to censure him, simply for stating what the vast majority of Americans would have been thinking or saying, had they had the stomach to even watch this charade of a speech. 

I like the way Sandy Rios puts it in a Town Hall article. “If the chamber of the Congress of the United States of America isn’t the right place to fight for the future of the Republic, then where is that place?”  

In the spirit of truth-telling, and probably to comply with McCain’s campaign reform deal with the devil, I must admit that I sent Joe Wilson a relatively small donation for his re-election effort, as did my wife in a separate action. Mr. Steele and the RNC might take note that Joe Wilson is the type of Republican that I told them I would be willing to support, in my post on Two Cents' Worth, my Town Hall blog, entitled An Open Message to Mr. Steele and the RNC!