The Biggest Current Debate in Politics: Government-Run Health Care: Lies, Propaganda, and Difficulties in Politics

“We’re afraid of Obama!” yelled an onlooker at a republican town hall meeting about health care.

Another member of the crowd shouted, “We’re afraid of Obama! He’s a Socialist! We’re all afraid of Obama! You should be afraid of Obama!”

"Turn off Glenn Beck,” the speaker responded.

Sarah Palin, while too busy for politics and the Governorship of Alaska, found time to write on her facebook page, “I will not stand for Obama’s ‘death panel’ that will say whether or not they (her children and grandparents) live.”

President Obama had to rebut these rumors on his web address Monday.

“Let me start by dispelling outlandish rumors that health care reform will promote euthanasia or cut Medicaid, or bring about a government takeover of healthcare. That’s simply not true. This isn’t about putting the government in charge of your health insurance, it’s about putting you in charge of your health insurance. …it will provide for the hundreds of millions of Americans that don’t have health insurance…We’ll stop insurance companies from denying coverage due to past medical history.”

Can we all agree on something here?

It is not positive that one group lies about another so much, to the point that our President has to coddle us while explaining the real hopes and dreams of health care reform he has put forth.

But what has driven people to seemingly mindlessly insane with rage directed Obama’s way? What could have made this sector of Americans so angry?

As the famous Islamic Caliphate Ali bin Aba Talib (RA) in the seventh century said of human nature, "We Fear What We Don't Know."

So, should we be fearful, and in hand, angry about things we don’t understand, or should we seek to know as much about them as possible?

Here we come across a problem. In today’s postmodern condition, the very one we all live in currently, we have many things to get in the way of simply “knowing” things, or even “learning” things.

The postmodern condition leads to “information overload,” too much information to sort through to find what is the “truth” of the matter. It also leads to stereotyping, which, while negative many times, may not always be the case, but a way to navigate our world.

The “news” providers of 2009 basically force us into stereotyping though, through our bipolar world view, that says, “If I’m good, you’re bad,” and vice versa.

The cable news networks, like FOX News, CNN, MSNBC and others absolutely feed off this negativity, and the way they publish their “news” is through a very effective medium that can penetrate deep and in a broad way.

This “news reporting” is called propaganda.

But what exactly is propaganda?

Most people, when asked, “What is propaganda?” would answer, “Isn’t that what those WWII movies were based on?” The answer would be exactly correct, though it wasn’t the first time, nor last time propaganda has been used.

Noam Chomsky describes propaganda as coming in five “filters.” The filters are; ownership of the medium, medium’s funding sources, sourcing, flak, anti-communist ideology.

Chomsky argues that since mainstream media outlets are large corporations or part of conglomerates, the information presented to the public will be biased with respect to these interests. According to the funding “filter” the news is nothing more than a “filler” to get readers, or viewers, to see the advertisements, which make up the real content.

Chomsky continues, talking about sourcing saying, “The mass media are drawn into a symbiotic relationship with powerful sources of information by economic necessity and reciprocity of interest.” The fourth filter is flak, which is, “Negative responses to a media statement or program.” And the fifth is “anti-communism” which in today’s thinking, can be thought of as “anti-ideologies” which exploit fear and hatred of groups that pose a potential threat, either real, exaggerated, or imagined.

Where does propaganda play a role in our every day lives?

Now that I have described propaganda, in however a brief and possibly confusing way, how does it really affect us in our lives as Americans?

I will use some concrete examples to show how propaganda influences us in a real way, through the media.

FOX News’ Bill O’Reily in 2007 called Left wing demonstrators, “Nazis. Nazis used to change facts and make smear campaigns. That’s what they’re (left wingers) are doing.”

In those three brief sentences, O’Reiley is using three of the “filters” Chomsky described above; ownership, anti-ideologies, and is the quintessential example of sourcing.

FOX News is owned by Rupert Murdoch, who owns News Corporation, one of the five media conglomerates that run all of the news we have in America today. The other four are Disney(ESPN, ABC), Viacom(CBS, MTV), Time Warner(TNT, CNN), and GE(NBC). Oh, and those that say there is a "Liberal Media Bias," the majority of these companies are owned by Republicans, so therefore, there is a "Conservative Media Bias" in actuality.

So, basically, there are five companies that own 80-90 percent of our media, TV, radio, and movies. The internet is the one medium that is seemingly “free,” although conglomerates are at work here too. The five companies have five main owners, and the news they provide is subject to the owners of the conglomerate.

In actuality, what is reported to the American public is news that is beneficial to the owner, not what is necessarily “news worthy.”

FOX News, and in turn many of the cable news networks, are exemplary of showing stories that should not be news worthy, and spreading propaganda.

FOX “News” Network is spreading this propaganda to a sector of the American public that eat it up and turn what they don’t know into fear. FOX News, instead of reporting real news, in a “fair and balanced” way, like that advertise, does nothing but use fear tactics about things we (the American public) do not need to worry about.

Here are just a few examples, of the hundreds I have personally heard from these “news” channels, as FOX is not the only culprit here: The Swine Flu, The Bird Flu, Anthrax, E-Coli in Tomatoes, or even terrorists in general.

Think about it, how many terrorist attacks have there been in America? That’s right, everyone thinks of 9/11 off the bat, but what else?

Sure, there was the DC sniper, Ted Kaczynski, and other random crazies out there. So, add all those up and how many do you get? A minuscule amount, especially compared to many countries in the Middle East and other places on the globe that are subject to this kind of violence on almost a daily basis.

But what did FOX News used to harp on while W. was in office? “The US hasn’t been attacked again since 9/11, so what Bush is doing is working, and is right.”

To think that way is not only illogical, it is plain wrong.

Sure, Bush changed a lot of things security-wise during his presidency, but his hand was forced, not voluntary. Not to mention domestic wire-tapping, which goes completely against the Constitution and the government used the CIA to do so, when their jurisdiction is solely outside of US borders, not inside.

America has not been attacked though because we haven’t been attacked, not because of Bush, or any other regime. It’s like saying, “I had a house built, and during construction, one of the builders was crushed by a beam. After the accident, we stepped up safety, and no one was injured, so I guess it worked.” There is no cause and effect in the argument in the statement, “We haven’t been attacked because of what Bush did.”

Think about it all, it takes a lot of time, effort, and most of all money to make something like the 9/11 attack happen. Bin Laden (if that’s really who was behind it all) had to plan the attack all out, plant people in America to learn how to fly planes etc.

Basically, they hit us in a weak place, a place that has been sored up since, but is not impenetrable. Bush though, also sold the port of Miami to Dubai, a middle eastern nation. And while Dubai may be the least of the US’ worries, to think that someone could ship a nuclear weapon or worse into the country through the port is scary in itself.

But this is where the argument comes full circle. There are some things we should worry about, real problems that can affect us in a real way. There are also some things that are absolutely ridiculous to spend time fretting about.

The evidence of this propaganda and use of fear tactics is shown in something that has come up repeatedly in the last three days since Sarah Palin’s facebook statement came out, “Obama and his ‘death panel’.”

Every one is in an uproar over her comments, not because of how incredibly ridiculous they are, but because some people actually believe that they are true!

The US Government setting up a “death panel” that gets to chose whether you live or die? Come on, this isn’t some SciFi story we’re reading, this is 2009, the year of change in the form of a black president.

But who could make these seemingly intelligent think such crazy things? The media of course. The media, as I learned, is pervasive, domineering, and like some people’s God, omnipresent. Think about going in public and all the media you are subjected to.

TV in public places like the bus station, or radio on the bus, or a huge ad on the side of a bus —and we’re just talking about a small sector of our society, public transportation!

A great example of this came today, August 12, 2009, as I watched more propaganda hit the TV screen while watching Jeopardy. An “ad” explaining that “$22,750. Government run health officials in England decided that’s how much six months of life is worth. Tell your members of Congress to oppose Government run Healthcare.” If there were any better example of propaganda on TV, I wouldn’t be able to find it.

So, in summation, there are a few final points I would like to reiterate to everyone.

First, the media is everywhere in the postmodern world, and we must navigate our way though it, in a critical way. Second, some media is advertised as “news” but is in actuality really just filler of interests that helps the owner of the network. Third, propaganda, while seemingly dead, is still present in our every day world. Fourth, EVERY news network is guilty of using propaganda as a strategy, not just FOX News, although they are a prime example.

Lastly, and most importantly, do NOT believe everything you read, watch, or listen to, as it could be false, misinformation, or complete propaganda designed to lead you astray from your usual intelligent understanding of the world.

Don’t even believe me fully. Question, criticize, and comment if you think I’m wrong, and why.

A Midnight Romp Around the Gambler's Paradise that is Black Hawk

Black Hawk and Central City are gambling towns in the Rocky Mountains, only minutes from Denver, and are simply breathtaking.

My first contact with these towns came when I was a mere eight or nine years old, and about the only memory I can recall is sitting next to this realistic-looking octogenarian on a bench—and the town was small, with three-story at most buildings.

Besides those faint memories, my biggest experience with the gambling towns themselves are the TV adds that commonly follow Jeopardy.

One common thread in the commercials is a sweeping view of the town, showing their casino, which the most extravogant have LED jumbotrons above the front entrance, that scream things like, "Loosest Penny Slots"(which, when heard on TV sounds eerily like another kind of business associated with gambling) and "Friday Buffet: $4.99."

The catchiest of the adds is for Lodge Casino with their singing slogan, "Lodge Casino: Your choice for fun!"

But, as Mike first proposed the idea of going to Black Hawk at 3pm yesterday, I immediately got excited.

Finally, after much deliberation sitting in a large circle, and procrastination, we were off to Black Hawk at 10:30pm.

The drive down for Will and I was highlighted by the "mashup" put on by Alice 105.9, and many crazy drivers on I25. There was "the jerker," the guy that swerves in and out of lanes (not something else pervs), and the "I go 45 mph in the middle lane" guy as well.

As we flew down the highway all I could think was how exciting it would be to gamble, legally. I should make an announcement here that I have never been to Vegas, unlike most all of my friends, and most of what I know of it comes from TV shows and personal "Vegas Confessions" from Mike, Diana, and Koby.

The last 30 minutes of the drive is a dark winding journey through the mountains, as hundreds of cars were leaving the gambling towns, and we were the poor schmucks showing up late. Every turn led to another, and another, with nay a street light on the side of the road, until, finally there was the splendor of Black Hawk at night time.

We even made it by our planned time, midnight.

There are huge parking structures with neon lights, one of the biggest is free, and some relatively large casinos.

The biggest and most awe-striking building was a hotel that was that rises majestically 30 stories out of the canyon mountainside. The hotel is around two thirds of the way done, so the two cranes alongside it make it seem even more massive. Adjoining the hotel is a double-digit story parking structure that looks as if it has rooms inside it as well.

As Will and I drove down the narrow "strip" as I assume the designers were attempting to emulate, I noticed how narrow the road is, and how wonderfully clean the city is as a whole—especially since it's such a popular tourist destination. Space is a definite rarity here, but there are still so many casinos packed into the small area.

We arrived at the Lodge Casino, (Go figure right? I guess their advertising works) which from my understanding, is one of the biggest and best of Black Hawk. Upon entering, there is a nifty big rotating door that senses you coming and moves without anyone pushing it. In fact, there is a sign that reads, "Please do not push," something that was lost on a belligerent man who stumbled into the door, which came to a halt, hitting his wife in the face.

As Will and I walked in, we were almost assaulted by the security guards waiting at the door, a somewhat intrusive, almost rude exchange between the four of us. We proceeded up the escalator, and the Lodge was packed, teeming with gamblers from seemingly all classes and many different places. From young white and black people, to old white and asian people, to middle aged native Americans, everyone was represented.

We weaved our way to "Frank's Bar" and I was pleseantly surprised when the cost of a Bud Light was a mere $2.25.

A somewhat unpleasent surprise that the bartender had in store for me was that there is a 30 minute wait between drinks, as per Black Hawk regulations apparently. (As we sat down, Will played, and lost, $20 on video poker in about three minutes, a quick wake up call to me.) This of course would not work for us beer drinkers, as it was already 12:30 am, and last call is at 2:00. Will, Mike, Diana and I waited for our other four companions, as Will let me know the loop hole around the rule though; go to another casino.

So, all eight of us were off, across the street, to the Golden Gates casino. Contrasted to the Lodge's newish feel and design, the Golden Gates had a much older style. The bottom floor, where we played for about two hours, had a rustic, almost "old western" feel to it.

Right away, five of my companions jumped on a Black Jack table, and I followed over to watch. As I was the only "casino virgin" I was a little shy to throw my money away on a $5 per bet Black Jack table. The play was quick, as lots of money was lost, and won for some time, by friends.

Luckily for me, Diana wanted to play some slots, and we went to play together. Slots are a fun and easy way to spend a little money, but their rewards are small as well. I had a great time perusing the machines, as Diana kept explaining that we "had to find one that calls out to us."



The best machine I played all night was this "Reel Money" one that was 30 cents per play, but ended up shelling out around $12 to me in around a half an hour of play all together.

We jumped from machine to machine though, all the while checking in on the guys playing cards, and hitting the bar. Again, luckily for me, the pregnant young lady behind the bar at this casino wasn't so worried about the 30 minute rule, as she was making money, and getting me buzzed.

After a while though, and much losing by a few of us, we left the Golden Gates to go back to the Lodge, as Will needed to leave for the Fort, and work. Koby and I were to go with him, until Mike convinced us to stay to gamble more, and sleep in Winter Park.

I was stoked to get to stay, and we left again for the Gilpin Casino. It, like the Golden Gates, is located on the "older" side of the road, but the casino was at least as nice as the Lodge. By now, 2:30 am, the casinos were relatively empty, but not completely, as I suppose any time is a good time to lose money.

Again, five people jumped onto a Black Jack table, and again I watched. This time, I was feeling a little more lucky, and after a bunch of hands, jumped on the table to play as well. I threw down a $20 bill, good for only four chips. First hand, a 3, followed by a 7, followed by a 10, winner. Second hand, a 3 again, for another win. At one point I was up $15 dollars, but after losing four hands in a row, I got up from the table with $10 in chips to play with still.

At this point, Mike, Diana, and I went back to their car to have a few more drinks. In the free parking garage was the place Black Hawk actually reminded me of what I think Vegas would be like. The stairwells are full of trash, cups, and dirtiness in an otherwise superbly clean city.

As we walked back down the "strip" we stopped at the Canyon casino, played a few slots before going back to the Gilpin. As Koby was done on Black Jack, the three of us got him to come with us as we looked to play Hold'em. We found the room, after walking through a somewhat busy, good smelling restaurant, but were too intimidated to play. The room was not bustling, as only about 15 people played, and would have likely taken our money, and fast.

Back to the slot machines for me, as I kept looking at the time, but wasn't tired at all. As 4:00 am rolled around, we headed back to the Lodge for some craps, which Mike really wanted to play. We hung around a packed table for about an hour, and I got a quick lesson from a hot better, and a craps "psychic."

The guy in a North Carolina hat kept betting and betting big, and coming out positive. At one point, he had around $200, but at the end of our stay, was back down to about $40. The guy directly to my right kept calling every single dice throw, as he was wrong 90% of the time. I heard him spill that he had lost $300 earlier in the night though, and wouldn't be gambling anymore.

Mike finally got his chance to throw, and did for around 20-30 minutes. Mike was paying everyone, including this 50-year old woman to my left. At one point, there was around $300 on the table as Mike had a hot hand. He eventually crapped out though, and we felt like 5:00 am was a good time to leave.

As we left the Lodge, we decided to just dive back to Fort Collins, instead of staying in Winter Park. The drive down the canyon was remarkable, as the sun was rising and I had never seen the mountains in this light.

At last, we arrived in Fort Collins, as I was awoken in my backseat temporary bed of Mike's car.

Overall, the experience was great, classic, fun, although expensive ($50, 15 of which for drinks), and at times intrusive by security and the loud noises of machines. For anyone that lives in Colorado, or anywhere close by, I definitely suggest going to Black Hawk for a night of fun.