OH NO! THE MEDIA'S SELLING US TERROR

Do a quick Google search of "Rolling Stone cover" and you'll find quite a few articles and opinion pieces on the Rolling Stones' decision to put Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the cover of their pop culture magazine. Many people are upset about it, saying Rolling Stone is glorifying terrorism/terrorists, or that they're trying to cash in on controversy, or that they're simply insensitive to the victims. But should we really be mad at Rolling Stone?

The controversial cover.

When I heard of the controversy, I immediately thought of some famous covers from Time magazine. They've plastered images of some of the world's most notorious killers. Seinfeld even did a sketch about a killer who made the cover of Time.


Granted, most people don't think of Rolling Stone as the hard news source that Time (laughably) is, but they've done some pretty good reporting. Check out the "Generation Kill" series, "Fast Food Nation", or their report on CIA operatives in the media. They've published some dirt on big conspiracies, some of which the government doesn't seem to like.

Before everyone gets all up in arms that Rolling Stone put the Boston Bomber suspect on their cover, realize that the media has been selling us an obsession with murder and death for years. For more information on that, check out Nancy Grace. This is nothing new, and the real perpetrator is us. We buy into it. We demand violence and tragedy, so the media supplies it. Whether that's a human trait, or if we've been conditioned to seek that controversy because of the media's portrayal of it is another question.

All the negativity, violence, and sadness shown on the news has a negative impact on us. It makes us anxious and depressed. It has deep psychological effects on us. So, tune out. Turn it off. Quit getting wrapped up in death and destruction and ignore the garbage they're shoving down your throat. Unplug from the Matrix and get out while you still can.

BREAKING THE ANA-HYMEN: POLICE ARE SKIPPING THE FOREPLAY AND ENGAGING UNARMED CITIZENS IN ANAHEIM

This is footage of militarized police in Anaheim, California.

Since 9/11, the US government has been expanding its power. First, came the multi-trillion-dollar-a-year War on Terror. Then, the Department of Homeland Security was created to combat terrorism by stopping online piracy. Next, there was the Patriot Act that expanded the US government's ability to gather information on "terror suspects" (it also expanded the term "terrorism" to include domestic terrorists, aka US citizens). In 2011, President Barack Obama extended the most frightening aspects of the Patriot Act, and, in the same year, became the first US President to kill an American citizen without due process. In 2012, President Obama created the nightmarish National Defense Authorization Act, a frothing, tentacled creature born of Phillip K Dick's paranoid hallucinations and Joseph Stalin's Manual for Running Your Country*.

With the recent protests leading to an overblown police response in Anaheim, one question pops up: Could this be a test run? Is Anaheim the US government's version of Columbus, Ohio, where they're product testing violence instead of new fast food creations? Let's review this week and see what has brought forth this level of police power. For a good video recap, check out this CBS News video. Wikipedia also has ongoing coverage.

July 21, 2012 - Police approach 25-year-old Manuel Diaz. He runs, so they shoot and kill him. Witnesses in the area begin questioning the police for murdering an unarmed man. Tensions rise, and in the end, officers disperse the crowd with shotguns loaded with bean bags, tasers and a wild K-9 looking for a snack. When the dust settles, police officers attempted to purchase witnesses' cell phones and cameras to hide video evidence of the event.

July 22, 2012 - The day after murdering an unarmed Latino, police kill another, even younger, Latino named Joel Acevedo. Reports say he fired at police, though that is still "under investigation." This second killing sparked more protests, and in the following days, protests grew, drawing larger numbers of police responders. For the most part, protests have seemed peaceful and restrained given the circumstances. But as they continue, more and more militarized police are entering Anaheim, prepared to follow orders, orders that hopefully include "protect and serve".

*This is not really a book by Stalin, though he does have several that Obama probably reads before bed.

INFORMATION FUNNEL

By Donovan Govan via Wikimedia Commons

Information control or obscuration is a detriment to the human race. Sooner rather than later all information will be funneled to individuals based on prior activities. Currently, it might not be possible to completely narrow everyone's minds. Given an article posted on Conspiracy Fury about a maleware called Flame, ultimate information control is not far off, though. Never underestimate the power of your government. Most of the information an individual views can be shared with second, third, countless parties with no consent from the individual. Example: buy something online, then check your email. Look at all the emails/junkmail directly related to that purchase. Should capitalism be allowed to continue in such a manner?

Perhaps in the future based on online transactions and social posts you could be pigeonholed into a direct demographic. Then be allowed to only view information or products based on your "likes" or purchases.  This would inhibit outside world views or information foreign because of your previous activity. Constriction of ideas would lead to further narrowing of human intellect. Thus making everyone easier to put into a category.  Potential threats to information totalitarianism could be easily located once all humans are categorized.

New information that would broaden human intellect would be hampered or inaccessible. Funneling of accessible information would destroy the ability to debate ideals outside your own fine tuned category.  In order to debate or constructively criticize one must also have knowledge of the ideas out side your own.  Progression of information filtering will create a fractured, egotistical, uninformed society. Ideas would be confirmed and not criticized within a category.

Criticism is crucial for self betterment. Without criticism there is no intelligence only an obscure and incorrect view of intellect. The narrowing of minds is the result. There is no shared knowledge only the individuals perception of a correct worldview. There is no societal benefit. Select groups will arise that cater to each human caricature. Each group molded with information funneling and inflated sense of right. This sense of right will consume each vs. the other. Debates will still happen but nothing constructive will come out of it.  Cooperation will disappear leaving only ignorance and violence.

THE 1ST AMENDMENT EXISTS WHERE WE SAY IT EXISTS!

A picture is worth a thousand words, but what use are words if you can only use them in a tiny space sectioned off for you?

See it for yourself on their site (if they haven't taken it down).