Robert Stanelle

DON'T JUDGE SUBSTANCE BY STYLE

Long ago, when I was a very young man, I had a teacher who taught me about “deja moo,” the hearing of the same old bullshit we have heard before! You see I had a habit of having the same old excuses for why I was late for class, why my homework was not done, etc. etc. etc. This same wise old teacher then took time over the next several months to teach about the difference between and the importance of substance over style and, as I have learned further over the years, the HUGE importance of substance over style. Substance will do the right thing – style will talk and do nothing or do the image thing. Style will do all they can to look like they are doing something, while really doing nothing. That is what we have come to with George Bush and his entourage, the purveyors of style, the paupers of substance. And do not dare to criticize the president or you will be shut out of the white house, media has done nothing but contribute to this farce of leadership, and it shows all signs of getting worse.

How you say? It got worse several years ago when the F.C.C. allowed the monopolization of local radio to the point where now three empires (read rich Republicans) own more than half of the radio stations in America! Wonder why we hear so much conservative republican support-the-rich deja moo. Now the F.C.C. wants to allow cross-ownership of most all other forms of media: television, network and cable, newspapers, web news, etc. Of course only the great empires (read again rich Republicans) can afford to do such things, the Rupert Murdoch, Disney, AOL Time Warner gangs. Those of us sitting at home will hear only one view, that of the wealthy media owners. We won’t even wonder why our individual lives are going to hell financially because we will be so indoctrinated by one side of the issue. This was once called “brainwashing” and was considered torture. Now it’s called media control, a “nice” business name, while performing the same brainwashing function but so much more efficiently. Now instead of brainwashing us one at a time, they have millions sitting in front of the TV screen at once! Ah, the efficiency of big business, at the cost of more of our freedom.

And George Bush? A man of zero substance but controlled by his media heads style. Every move he makes or takes credit for is pure style, and the current conservative rich-owner press only promotes it. This man ran and hid when the WTC was hit, but he landed on an aircraft carrier when there was no threat to him. Pure flamboyant showmanship only for media purposes all arranged by his media people who wanted the “right” backdrop. Bob Hope was a man of substance. He appeared on many ships without ever any concern about “style.” But then Bob Hope was not trying to influence the voters to think he was doing something, he just did it. Then Bush has the incredible nerve to say “the United States and our allies have prevailed.” Yeah, sure. Have you paid attention to the state of Iraq today? Have you noticed the bombings now going on all over the world? Have you notice the lack of “habeas corpus” of any so-called terrorist leaders? Al-Qaeda does not seem any weaker, but the U.S. seems a whole lot weaker. The Ironic Times said it best with the mini-headline, “World Much Safer Today, Says Cheney (Statement issued from an undisclosed location).”

By the way, if the world is so much safer today, why aren’t people traveling more? Hmmh? Could there be a relationship? Duh!

The BBC (one of our so-called allies) even says the Jessica Lynch rescue was staged. There were no battle wounds, no enemy fire. Our troops could have walked right in during the daylight and got her. In fact, except for a broken leg, she could have walked right out because no enemy soldiers were there! But that was not good media so the Bush administration had an all-out middle-of-the-night assault done purely for the media. Yet our conservative controlled media has simply ignored the story. Jessica herself says she was drugged asleep and has “no recollection of the events.”

Even the White House Web site is pure media spin. The President with smiling children, military men and even his “pet” Longhorn! Over a million visitors a month and not one iota of substance, but a hell of a lot of style. Perhaps the worse example is the now largely useless, basically uncontrolled and unfunded, but “stylish,” federal bureaucracy called “Homeland Security.” Do any of you feel safer?

Recently a reporter, who just happened to be black, was fired from the New York Times for “fabrications” of his stories. We now have a President, who just happens to be white, who needs to be fired for his fabrications, for George Bush’s fabrications are a thousand times greater than Jayson Blair’s ever were. Mr. Blair’s may have done some disservice to a few persons and made a few people hate him. George Bush’s fabrications have made millions of the world’s citizens hate us. Until we stop this person and our government being devoid of any substance ………………….. (NOTE: This article can be updated by simply replacing the Bush name with Trump - and that saddens me greatly.)