Greek Bailout and Reform: BBC Doesn't Give the Whole Picture

Here’s the great thing about the BBC; if you have a complaint about the news you can message them. My complaint is that their reporting of Greek’s position is so bloody biased. I’m sick to death of the perspective that the Greeks are a lazy, irresponsible, hopeless, greedy good-for-nothing bunch with a leader who has no integrity. I clicked ‘contact us’, selected ‘complaints’ and answered a bunch of questions, each with its own pestilential pop-up page.

I dismissed the pestilential pop-up thought ‘couldn’t they have put all of these on one page?’—silly, it’s the BBC. They wouldn’t be so dumb as to put complainers through unnecessary hassle.

Finally I get to ‘for complaints about the news’ go to another bloody site. I take a deep breath—actually I lie. I do some highly appropriate, imaginative and very satisfying ranting and raving, then I take a deep breath and go to the bloody site. Where there’s no ‘complaints’ section. But there is one for ‘do you have an idea for a news story?’. I believe I do, I thought, and clicked on that. Below is my letter to them.

"My idea is unique and you'll pardon my sarcasm I hope and not see it as reason to dismiss my suggestion. Why not present both sides of the story regarding Greece; those who don’t support Greece and those who do? You could also place as much emphasis on the humanitarian crisis as you do on the money. 

You seek responses from European ministers to the latest Greek proposals and present only the Lithuanian finance minister saying there is no trust left for Greece. You don't interview Francois Hollande or Christine Lagarde on the same subject but why not? If you presented all three, side by side, we'd have a different picture.

On that matter, why don't you interview Professor Paul Krugman and ask for his views on austerity? Or interview Angela Merkel and pin her down on the fairness or otherwise of half of Germany’s debt being forgiven after WWII and the rest restructured on terms purely based on Germany’s capacity to repay. And these generous countries were the ones Germany had decimated; they had plenty of reason to punish Germany. The country had harbored and promoted a psychopath and numerous serial killers, the consequence of which was to wreak havoc on the entire world.

Why don’t we see this talked about over and over again in conjunction with the hardline stance of Angela Merkel et al? Why don’t you expose the hypocrisy of Germany today? It’s very relevant. 

Your reporters and anchors talk about 'reform' all the time as if reform was only about saving money but you never mention, in the same breath, which is when it needs to be mentioned to present the truth, the negative economic aspects of that ‘reform’. You rarely mention the humanitarian consequences and when you do you don't place it side by side with the austerity hacks' perspective.

But you should, because you boast in your PR that BBC has the best news coverage. It doesn’t. You don’t have anything different to SkyNews or CNN. This is an instance where you could truly lead. The double standards in the way Greece is being treated and how that treatment is being covered are off the charts. There are two possible conclusions, as far as I can see. Either the BBC editors aren’t smart enough to see what’s happening, or they’re plenty smart and the BBC doesn’t want to tell the truth.

Neither is particularly flattering. On thinking about both these options they kind of lead to one: The BBC news team is a lazy, irresponsible, hopeless, greedy good-for-nothing bunch with a leader who has no integrity."

p.s. Don't feel too bad. Take consolation from the fact that SkyNews and CNN are just as bad.

Far Right Holds US Hostage Again: Boehner Bows to Pressure

Some people who have never been poor, or who have been but were able to pull themselves out of poverty, are grateful, and empathetic towards those who are less fortunate – for whatever reason - and humble enough to be aware of 'there but for the grace of God go I'. 

Some seem to be so terrified of poverty that they’ll see and represent themselves as being better – having more character, being more willing to work hard and face challenges down – than those who haven’t been able to rise. They’ll disparage the poor or downtrodden and won’t care if they starve or suffer. They’ll step on anybody, shove them out the way, in their desperation to keep themselves safe and will find a way to make that an admirable trait as well. 

Is it that some humans are just inherently nasty? As Hamlet said, “I have thought some of Nature’s journeymen had made them [men] and not made them well, they imitated humanity so abominably.” (Hamlet III.II.34) More likely it’s about deep rooted fear that doesn’t show on the surface and that they themselves aren’t aware of.

Whatever the reason, the ultra right in Congress continues to imitate humanity abominably and to pressurize House Speaker Jim Boehner to sacrifice the interests of the country to those of the select few.  A week ago he bowed to that pressure, afraid perhaps of losing his position if he weighed in on the side of sense and sensibility. This time the demands were that he tie money to keep the government open after September 30 to stripping finance for President Obama’s Health Care law. 

Perhaps these ultra conservatives might have a different viewpoint if their child had to go to the emergency room and died because they didn't get seen to in time or if they themselves were paralyzed for life because they didn't get proper care.

It’s a tragedy that America’s fate is so often in the hands of this grouping of people. Especially given that the President is a man with heart but also with powerful understanding of the dynamics of a healthy middle class. A man who has performed miracles given the obstacles thrown in his way but who could lead the country to truly great heights again if he wasn’t blocked all the time. Pearls before swine.

Comments left on a New York Times article about Boehner’s dilemma illustrated how those ultra conservatives in Congress made their way into power, and how they’re in the minority, which everybody knows. Even Republicans.

Somebody calling themselves “Yes I am Right” from Los Angeles quoted the Bible:

“2 Thess 3:8-10

8 Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:

9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us.

10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”

Another reader, ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ said “Feeding poor people is the work of Satan, you are creating a dependent class. Starve the poor, and soon they will join the labor force as responsible workers. Give lazy slaves an option such as food stamps, and they will refuse to serve their Corporate Overlords! Work! Work! Work! A few days on the factory floor and Work Work Work will be blasted into their brains. Work, you peon, work! If you are not a productive citizen, and by productive I mean making me rich, then you must die since you are worthless.”

This being the New York Times, which generally draws the most intelligent comments out of all the online high profile news outlets, the above abominable comments were the minority. The majority were humanitarian and sane.

On the other side of the fence, Carrie from Missouri said “I am disabled and receive $812 in Social Security Disability and $137 a month in food stamps. How about we require our senators and representatives to live off that for a month before they vote to take food out of the mouths and hands of the needy?”

Sherry Jones from Washington commented: “The problem with not making sure capitalism takes care of people is, no one can buy the goods you're selling, increased poverty, hunger, homelessness, crime, despair, and social unrest.

“We tried lower taxes and trickle-down and it didn't work. The rich just got richer and everyone else is barely treading water. We tried deregulation and bankers crashed the economy. The resulting unemployment is long-term and intractable. And now House Republicans punish the people who got hurt the worst, the people who are truly drowning, the unemployed poor. They cut education, they cut work training programs, and then they cut food stamps for people who can't find work.

“It makes people feel good I guess, in a sadistic kind of way, but punishing the victims of voodoo economics is not the answer.”

Her comment got a lot of recommendations, which was good to see. As for Congress holding the government hostage again, it didn’t work last time and it’s even less likely to work this time. They just can’t get enough of making fools of themselves. While they toy with the US economy and its fate.

12 Year-old Commits Suicide Because of Cyber Bullying

Look on the picture above and weep. 12 year-old Rebecca Ann Sedwick, after being viciously targeted by cyberbullies for over a year, climbed over a high fence with barbed wire on top, then made her way to the top of a platform at an abandoned cement plant and jumped to her death.

Twelve years old.

It’s easy to want to blame somebody but that won’t bring Rebecca back, or change anything for the next child who gets victimized. Is being victimized right now and contemplating suicide because he or she doesn’t know where to turn, doesn’t believe there’s any safe haven. Can’t really talk to their parents, doesn’t get any support from school. Can’t say anything to friends for fear of being laughed at. Or doesn’t have any friends.

It’s hard enough for adults to understand that when somebody trashes you it’s not a reflection of you; it doesn’t say anything about you at all but it does say a whole lot about them, and none of it is pretty. If adults can’t get their head around that, how on earth can children?

They can’t and they don’t. Rebecca’s mother did everything she could. She knew about the bullying, she was very concerned about it, she closed down Rebecca’s Facebook account, complained to the school where Rebecca was being real-world bullied as well, took away her cellphone for a while.

The school promised to give Rebecca an escort between classes but they never came through. 

Rebecca’s mother moved her to another school. For a while it seemed to work. Relieved from the bullying, she became happier, more relaxed, more like her old self before the bullying started.

But the bullying started again. The day before she killed herself she told her mother she wanted to hurt herself really badly. The next day she changed her ID on a cyber app to That Dead Girl and left her mobile and her books at home. Instead of going to school she went to that abandoned cement plant. Climbed the platform and jumped. And found peace that nobody could take away from her.

Rest in peace, Rebecca Ann Sedwick, beautiful child.