US Soldier captured in Afghanistan

[JMA]

JMA:

Yeah it will fizzle out. The Army will follow the standard DC inside the beltway drill. They will withhold information of all types and keep the guy from talking for months and months and maybe years. Then they will let out only what they have to and only a tiny bit at a time. The idea is it will be perceived as old news by the time it all gets out and nobody will pay attention.

The drill works very well.

And you guys - the voters - have been conditioned to just accept this stuff without even a whimper?

Perhaps there is more than a grain of truth in James Bovard's book: Attention Deficit Democracy

Delusions about democracy are subverting peace and freedom. The American system of government is collapsing thanks to ignorant citizens, lying politicians, and a government leashed neither by law nor Constitution. While presidents and pundits harp on democracy’s inevitable spread around the world, it is perishing at home.

[carl]

And you guys - the voters - have been conditioned to just accept this stuff without even a whimper?

Perhaps there is more than a grain of truth in James Bovard's book: Attention Deficit Democracy

Again I can't find any strong argument to make against what you say. It is happening.

I wonder if the system that developed during a time when the printed word was the only means of mass communication, and entertainment was only to be found by being an eyeballs on spectator, can survive television, both broadcast and cable fed. In the old days people were forced to read about politics and thereby forced to think some about it. Politics was entertainment to a large extent too because there weren't many other sources of diversion. Nowadays you can lose yourself in diverting media and never come out. The old system based upon the printed word almost forced the average guy to pay attention, the new electronic age allows the average man to be frivolous and opens the door that much wider to the schemers.

We may have to make adjustments, say prohibiting any political advertisement on tv or radio. Prohibit any tv news coverage of political races. Things like that are just off the top of my head ideas but we must do something to get the average guy back into the game.