Okay DUers, rate this -- what is greatest threat to America right now?!

[hansolsen]

I say it is the highly concentrated ownership of large segments of the media by large corporations closely linked to the Republican establishment. This is a fundamental threat to democracy and our form of government. We cannot "keep our Republic" without a free press. This is a threat to our free press.

So for comparison I have rated various threats on a 100 point scale. See if you agree?

P.S. I don't know how to set up one of those polls in a thread, sorry.

Here is how I would rate the threat to America on a 100 point scale:


> Saddam Hussein who couldn't find his own ass in a dark room 2

> Hitler and Japan, who killed about a half million Americans 50

> Stalin's Communist nukes which could still kill all of us 75

> Osama bin Laden if he gets his hands on a few nukes 25*

> Loss of our free press if corporate ownership solidifies 100

* I'm open to reconsidering this number

[UpsideDownFlag]

1. nukes are always gonna get a higher vote percentage

b/c no matter how small the risk, the result is annihilation.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

Another 4 years of George Bush.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

2. dupe

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

3. Another 4 years of George Bush.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

4. dupe.

[chicagojoe]

5. The fact that Bush is still consuming oxygen.

[kestrel91316]

6. The fascist bastards running the administration.

[Senior citizen]

7. I think the greatest danger to America right now

is if there really is a God, because if so, She's pissed.

[progressivebydesign]

8. The Media.

Without their complicity, the outrageous and blatant demise of our democracy, at the Neocons hands, would not be possible. They actually bear the brunt of responsibility, outside of the neocons, because they have abused the most basic freedoms intended by our founding fathers. Corporate megolopolies do not make for a free press...

[Shopaholic]

27. The media

better known as lapdogs for *!

[Jacobin]

9. George Bush. Ask me a hard question

[Swamp Rat]

10. Bush, the alien lizard!

[Nordic]

11. definitely the media

Journalism died at some point in the early 90's.

Nobody knows it but us.

It's the scariest thing in this country because it's like "invasion of the body snatchers" or something, nobody knows what has happened. There's nobody to tell them.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

12. 4 more years and the media are a tie IMHO

[DeepModem Mom]

13. Media: it's undermining the electoral process and our system itself...

by making it virtually impossible for one of our two major parties to conduct a national campaign in this Presidential election.

[suegeo]

14. The US mediawhores are our biggest enemy

The corporate media shapes reality for people who cannot think for themselves.

The media is the enemy.

[teamster633]

15. The RW's militant redistribution of wealth ought to show up...

...somewhere on that list. Money is power after all. While the media whores are a huge problem, our country's early patriots had to rely on a small group of pamphleteers to get their message out. Our alternate mechanisms are already in place in the form of internet sites like this beacon of hope that we call DU.

[snippy]

16. The political power of Reich wing fundamentalists.

Weaken that power and decent people would control Congress and the White House regardless of which party was in power.

[LaPera]

17. Our Budget Deficit! 77 million baby-boomer's about to begin Social Security

Health care insurance going up double digits each of the last four years, interest rates will skyrocket after the election, inflation, gas prices, wages going down not up.

We are in deep financial shit thanks to these greedy corporate republican fascist.

And everyone still wants to play Rove's game of deception and talk about this terrorism threat, to keep Bush's poll numbers high, while continuing the never ending wars for corporate & military profit.

Fuck the American people, it's the corporations that have become America.

[anarchy1999]

18. Weapons of Mass Delusion: America's Real National Emergency

Interestingly enough I just ran across this at another site and clicked back to DU and saw this topic...

Weapons of Mass Delusion: America's Real National Emergency
$14.95 paperback / $22.95 hardcover
PageFree Press / Potomac View Press
UPDATE: 11 SEP 04: An Adobe PDF version of the book is now available for free and released under the Creative Commons License. Accordingly, any proceeds from sales of the hard-copy editions will be donated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation

Popular technology commentator and author Richard Forno’s witty but realistic examination of American culture, particularly since September 11. He acknowledges -- and challenges where necessary – many of the critical issues Americans are afraid (or incapable) of confronting themselves. He concludes that the national emergency facing America today isn’t terrorism or rogue nations, but the daily illusions and mass delusions that make up what passes for reality in American society - in other words, the real danger facing America is what we're allowing ourselves to become.

http://www.infowarrior.org/wmd/

[jeepster]

19. Get Rid of Murdoch

Losing our free press is definitely #1. We need to get rid of the Murdoch owned outlets and restrict the ability of the facists to use the internet to spread lies. Look at what the right wingers are doing to CBS and Dan Rather. Everyone knows Bush is a liar and a deserter. Distracting people with nonsense about "evidence" and what documents may or may not be genuine is a typical facist tactic.

[Karenina]

20. Him AND his cronies...

Yes, Jeepster! It's quite bizarre watching the brouhaha over vintage typewriter models (messenger) while the CONTENT of the memos is ignored (message). They do NOTHING MORE than confirm and add detail to the public record. Where's the Mad Hatter when you need him? ;-)

[jeepster]

26. Exactly...

The corporate controlled media establishment media and the right wing sewer of the internet is a menace to the future of all progressive ideals - equality, social justice, protection of minorities, EVERYTHING. "Freedom" is a smokescreen. Look at Mel Gibson, a dyed-in-the-wool gaybasher makes $400mil selling religio-facistideology wrapped in the worst sort of anti-semitism. Is that what "freedom of expression" is about? Is there any positive purpose served by allowing that? Or should someone be empowered to protect us FROM it? Gibson, Murdoch and the rest should be ON TRIAL, not counting their millions and planning the next step on their pyramid-scheme of selling right-wing male cliches in the guise of entertainment.

[welshTerrier2]

21. It goes far beyond just media control

i agree with the fundamental premise of your post ... without a free press, democracy cannot exist ... and while you did add the very important phrase "closely linked to the Republican establishment", I think you need to look at the larger picture ...

the greatest threat I see to our democracy is that there exist powerful interests who fundamentally don't believe in democracy ... that this elite, powerful ruling class owns and controls our mass media is without question, a devastating threat to our freedoms ... so in large part, i agree with you ... but still, I think the larger picture must be seen ...

we are cursed with a system that excuses "capitalistic excesses" as some form of democratic freedom ... far too many of us accept the basic premise that government should not get in the way of business ... there's this underlying theme that if people work hard and earn lots of money, they're entitled to it ...

the problem with this great appreciation for market freedoms, of course, is that large multi-national corporations, and those in government who cater to them, do not act in the best interests of the American people ... the goal, simply put, is to maximize profits ... it is naive not to understand the difference between the two objectives ... they rarely walk the same path ...

capitalism and big money have yielded the best government money can buy ... our air and water have become polluted ... our cancer rates grow ... while the wealthiest are able to buy government policies favorable to their greediest interests, more and more go without adequate health care, more and more go without jobs and more and more go without hope ...

so propaganda and mind control exercised through mass media distorts the national dialog and keeps far too many in a coma-like stupor ... and those who are awake find inadequate outlets to awaken the masses ... the danger of medai control cannot be overstated ... but media control is only the tool ... the ultimate danger lies in the evil hearts and minds of those who wield it ...

[hansolsen]

28. I agree, and for openers I believe executive compensation has gotten so

out of hand that it amounts to grand larceny. It is not just a few bad apples, like Ken Lay, but a whole barrel of thieves scratching each other's backs.

What lies down this road is Robespierre, I'm afraid to say.

[VaYallaDawg]

22. The ease

with which the American public will readily accept lies used to explain other lies used to explain ... well, you get it.

[Mr_Spock]

23. Dubya n/m

[Skittles]

24. fascism in the form of GOP politics

its rise is being aided by the corporate media

[mitchum]

25. Corporate control AND the religous right

[redsoxliberal]

29. my ratings

> Saddam Hussein who couldn't find his own ass in a dark room 0

> Hitler and Japan, who killed about a half million Americans 50 90

> Stalin's Communist nukes which could still kill all of us 75 95

> Osama bin Laden if he gets his hands on a few nukes 25* 100

> Loss of our free press if corporate ownership solidifies 100 75