Blog Stage 5: To Trust or Distrust The Government?

At this very moment, I am quite unsure of how to perceive our government and whether to trust or distrust it. I believe this confusion has to do with my age. Being 21 years old, I am at the age where I am starting to question the world around me. As I learn more about the world and its complexities, I've realized that the larger organizations and corporations have a vast amount of power. In general, I do not believe that the government is always truthful; I believe there are hidden agendas in the background. What are these agendas about? I don't know, and that is why I don't know whether to trust or distrust the government.

I will admit that exposure to certain conspiracy theories have influenced me to think like this. However, I don't necessarily believe in them, but I do acknowledge the possibilities. There have been various examples, in recent years, that have caused me to question the motives of our government. For example, there are the controversial 9/11 conspiracy theories. These theories question whether the attacks were truly an act of terrorism or something the government had planned all along. Some people believe that we invaded Iraq for the interest of oil. Another example is the 2000 election between Gore and Bush and the controversial debate regarding the Florida recount. Though Gore had more popular votes than Bush, Bush received more electoral votes with the help of Florida.

Hopefully, sometime in the future, the truth will come out about the actions and motives of our government.

MediaMatters - Rinse, repeat: Right-wing media just can't stop pushing fake stories

Source: http://mediamatters.org/research/201007260051

For this blog post, the author argues that recent media, aimed towards Conservatives, have been publishing fabricated news stories. The blog post argues that Republicans have falsely published a story of a "Mexican invasion" on two ranches in Laredo, Texas; the author also says that Republicans falsely claimed that Obama supported the release of Lockerbie bomber, Abdel Baset al-Megrahi. Admittedly, as the stereotypical college student, I have not paid close attention to the most recent stories from the world of politics. I consider myself to be more liberal-minded; however, it is difficult to gauge the level of bias in this article, as I am not politically educated enough to make that judgment. Even though the author states that the Republicans have "confessed", I truly do not know of the truthfulness of this statement, as MediaMatters is a more liberal-minded blog. Perhaps, this whole story is fabricated. Naturally, I want to sway towards the opinion of the author, as my political ideology guides me to do so. Being that MediaMatters is more left-wing than right-wing, I also want to discredit the author's claims of the Republicans running fake news stories. It is more than likely that both parties publish these types of stories to tarnish the image of the other. I am quite aware that certain news providers (ie: CNN, Fox News) and certain television programs (Daily Show with John Stewart, Bill O'Reilly), tend to target a certain political audience; therefore, with my lack of knowledge on the situation and my lack of trust in both parties, I truly do not know whether to agree or disagree with the author, even though I consider myself to be more liberal. As much as I want to admit that these stories are true, I cannot do so.

NY Times: Free Speech for Broadcasters, Too

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/opinion/18sun1.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

The author is arguing that the Supreme Court should put a stop on all regulation regarding broadcast television. The main argument is that new media sources, such as the Internet, are not limited by the First Amendment, whereas broadcast television still suffers from it. The Internet, in general, provides access to countless media where speech is not regulated. According to the author, censorship in broadcast television is highly inconsistent; some words can be said, while some words cannot be said; some  programs have the ability to have their characters speak freely, while some don't, because of artistic value. Personally, I do not have a clear stance on this topic. As a college student, I could argue for the end of free speech regulation in broadcast television, as it would not affect me personally. However, as a probable parent in the future, I surely do not want my children to hear certain expletives on television. I do agree that it is unfair for the Internet to be mostly uncensored, while broadcast television must follow certain regulations. Television censorship, I believe, is for the benefit of our children. In today’s world, the Internet is becoming more and more an essential component in American lives. I would assume today’s children to be much more involved with the Internet than I was at that age. Therefore, I do believe that there should be censorship on the Internet as well. Overall, I believe free speech should still be regulated in broadcast television, as I believe it protects our children. 

CNN: Obama vacation brings rest, relaxation and rebuke

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/07/16/obama.vacation/index.html

The Obama family has recently departed to Maine for a brief family getaway. This has sparked controversy, as many are concerned with the infamous oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. This is the President’s third vacation since the oil first started leaking three months ago. Some say the President is entitled to a vacation, while some believe that the President should focus his efforts on the oil leak. Recently, the infamous oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico has, for the first time in three months, stopped leaking. Ships are expected to receive oil from leak. BP’s recent effort has allowed the world to be hopeful of the future. Hopefully, the leak will be handled as quickly and as efficiently as possible.