60 Minutes (of government propaganda)

CBS is getting a lot of flack about its recent 60 Minutes homage to the NSA. There was a time when the venerable news magazine would have torn the secret agency a new one, but those days are long gone. Who needs government-controlled propaganda when you have the elite owners of the media to do your bidding for you?

We’ve lost control of our government and our media. The only news and opinion outlets with enough guts to tell the truth are a handful of progressive blogs that have zero influence in the corridors of power. Oh yeah, and a couple of comedy shows on TV. There is no “check” or “balance” to keep the government even somewhat honest anymore, and, as secrets dribble out of Washington now and then, we know they are taking full advantage of the situation.

What we are witnessing today is the devastation of unrestrained capitalism. Money is running, and ruining, every aspect of society, from elections to wars to climate denial. Those at the top of the food chain have more money than they know what to do with, but they continue to make life miserable for the 99 percent. Their greed seems to know no bounds as they gleefully bleed the American middle class dry, which seems self-destructive to me because there will come a time when no one will be able to afford the cars or appliances or electronics their companies make. They don’t seem to care about that.

The 60 Minutes celebration of the NSA is simply one more symptom of our terminally ill empire.