President Bill Clinton in 2004 Daily Show Appearance

     

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Bill Clinton Pt.1
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Watching some old clips of The Daily Show, I stumbled upon this little gem of the first time former President Bill Clinton went on the show. The segment is dated August 9, 2004, which puts it right in the middle of the 2004 Presidential campaign between George W. Bush and John Kerry. Jon Stewart asks this interesting question: "Why is that a campaign commercial doesn't have to be as truthful as, let's say, a toothpaste commercial?" It's a good question, and Mr. Clinton offers a thorough answer saying, in essence, that the media does fact-check these ads, and is getting better at doing it. But the issue seems to be why are these ads even on the air? We have rules against companies falsely advertising goods and services on TV, on the radio, or any other media format so as not to intentionally lead the public into believing something that is demonstrably false, and this does not seem an issue with many "constitutionalists" as a violation of the First Amendment. But, why do we allow campaign ads such a luxury when, theoretically, they have the potential to be far more damaging to the country as a whole? Shouldn't someone propose a stop to this?

Sources of Crime

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/27250235

Occupy Oakland was closed down last night after the city issued eviction notices to the occupiers because a murder was committed nearby late last week. The police, and Mayor Quan, purport that the murder took place on or near Occupy Oakland's encampment. The ambiguity of this statement strikes me oddly, that they refuse to give an exact location to the public. Secondly, they contend the murder was a result of the occupiers, and that the encampment as a whole has become a source of crime in the city. Yet this statement too should be scrutinized. It is clear from eye-witness reports that the murder was in no way associated with the camp, and took place where groups of kids hang out after school. Maybe I'll post more videos from there, but the violence that I have seen in Oakland looked pretty similar to the violence that is seen from all over the country at Occupy camps: it's a violence induced by the men and women in uniform against the protestors exercising their 1st Amendment Rights.

Numerous incidences have been captured on film showing police brutality on men and women (pepper spraying, beatings with a baton or club). These egregious acts are in response to no threat of violence from the protestors, but from, what, annoyed policemen, bored policemen? The protestors are protesting the class warfare by the richest 1% of people in this country against the remainder of the population. They are protesting the Right-wing demonization of public workers, who happen to include the very men and women in uniform trying to close down the Occupy movements, and the reported "high life" public employees supposedly live. While the police work to close down the encampments, the 1% work to close down the policemen's pensions, their rights to bargain for better wages and safer working conditions, their health care. The police are working for the very people who do not want to pay for their protection, but want protection from people attempting to point out their crimes. Occupy Wall Street seeks justice and accountability to the widespread abuse, corruption, thievery, and subsequent scott-freedom they received due to lack of prosecution on behalf of the courts and government. And it is a government wholly paid for by the 1%, corrupt to its very core, to the highest office in this country. Why doesn't the government, or the courts (barring NY and California's Attorneys General from this generalization) want to shut down the sources of crime evident on Wall Street and the large financial institutions in this country? Who will start to hold these people accountable for the countless White-Collar Crimes that they have committed on behalf of capitalism and the free-market system? When will justice come?