Well, actually it's a Republic (so is America).  Here is a quick definition for those who use democracy in place of republic often.  

Democracy: Democracy is a system of government by which political sovereignty is retained by the people and exercised directly by citizens.

Republic: A republic is a state or country that is not led by a hereditary monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people)[3] have impact on its government. The word originates from the Latin term res publica, which translates as "public thing" or "public matter".

We must use all power available to take out this terrible piece of propaganda from YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/...

Only fools will believe Barrack Obama has no respect for life. What about John McCain killing innocent women and children from 15,000 feet in Vietnam? How many innocent people is he responsible for killing? McCain is a murderer and war criminal.

For the last seven years, Republicans have poked the real pain we felt on 9/11 to convince us that small nations who weren't involved in those attacks would be an "existential" threat to the United States if they got hold of even a handful of nukes--even though we have 10,000 warheads enough to destroy every country on earth several times over.

However, the Bushies and McCain's false promises of support to Georgia to get them to attack Ossetia to provoke a Russian response may undermine their "War on Terror" propaganda in a couple of ways:

^{Originally posted on The Economic Populist}

Have you ever noticed that when the United States has an increase in the trade deficit, the middle class reports stagnant wages, massive foreclosures, the number of Americans living in poverty jumps or  massive underemployment surges,  the pundits come out and call everyone a Protectionist?

How did the concept of protecting the United States economy and national interest end up being a dirty word?

This is my first diary entry to DKos, so please pardon any errors, and may Mark Twain forgive me.

McCain did pretty well in the religion forum. Forget for the moment that he dodged many of the questions, and that many of his questions did not make sense. "Defeat evil?" I'll tell Jesus to cancel the Second Coming because McCain is on the job, maybe with Chuck Norris as VP.

Democrats really need to get beyond their bookish overanalysis of technique and label the GOP strength for what it is - political propaganda.  Say it out loud, get the feel for it - "Propaganda."

Propaganda condenses all a party's positions to short slogans that can be repeated over and over regardless of changing circumstances. Then it dispenses these talking points through whatever form of mass communication is available, whether it's pamphlets, radio, television, or the internet.

The propagandists (and yes, let's call them "propagandists") must always have scapegoats who they will blame for all their problems, no matter how ridiculous this logic is. Limbaugh and the GOP are blaming the Democrats for high oil prices even though the oil companies have been running the country for the last eight years through the oil executives working in the White House.

The case of Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani woman who was likely tortured in U.S. custody, underscores the depravity of the current defects in our approach to intelligence gathering.  Even the best intentioned of torturers should be educated about the value of information obtained through such methods.  A victim of torture will tell his torturers anything they want to hear, eventually, but rarely tell the truth.  They are merely desperate to make their suffering end.

Mas below

RUSSIA's Power Play:  Pentagon No Evidence of Withdrawal From Georgia

 CNN "Breaking News".  

BTW, I broke my pledge to never watch CNN again.  I was playing poker online when suddenly a loud "Breaking News" cut off the broadcast and a very serious sounding Wolf Blizter came on the screen.  He went to a reporter who announced the breaking news that Russia was not withdrawing from Georgia. Breaking news!!!

Update: This was already diaried.  Sorry guys n gals.

I can't really write too much here because I lack the knowledge to give credible commentary on the whole Georgia-Russia situation.

However, this is... almost unbelievable.  Some photographs of the tragic suffering of Georgians at the hands of Russians that are posted by Reuters are obvious fakes.

See for yourself.

It sickens me to see that we are so open to propaganda, even through an organization as respected as Reuters.  Evidently the narrative is that, in this conflict, Russia is bad (which it probably is) and Georgia is good (which it obviously isn't).  Are the repugs so desparate as to cause an international crisis and twist the news to create a narrative that favours McCain?  Or am I being cynical thinking that?

Yes this election is about many specific issues, but the more I watch media coverage,political ads, townhalls and forums, the more I'm convinced this election will be a litmus test on what sort of intellectual capacity we have collectively as a people.

Recently there have been a number of excellent diaries outlining the history and proper context in which to analyze the recent Russian-Georgia conflict.  Through a bit of struggle most people on the site can see clearly that the conflict was started by Saakashvili (probably with the blessings of Washington real or imagined).  

That members of the DailyKos generally are wise enough to peer through the media bias and propaganda is an amazing thing.  However, I'm afraid that most citizens of this great country of ours do not have the time (or in some cases a resource as powerful as the internet) to wade through the sewage of propaganda that fills the airwaves.  

Wow, Faux really blew it here, bringing in a 12 year old Ossetian girl "hero" to talk about how bad the Russian aggression was, first-hand, only to have the girl stop the flow of the interview and point out that her ordeal was caused by Georgian troops, and she thanks the Russians who helped her escape.

Over the bump is the link ....

I wonder why John McCain doesn't come right out and say he sold his soul.  We miss the straight talk.  He should run with the explicit admission that he plans to pardon Jack Abramoff, and make the former lobbyist Secretary of the Treasury.  Ralph Reed, McCain's newest best buddy, it should be admitted, will get a big role in McCain's administration.  McCain should tell us that Exxon will replace our current EPA.  He should regale us with tales of how his administration will be one big, happy oil company and lobbyist family, like his campaign.  That would be straight talk.

More, yo.

I got an email from a friend and colleague today about a new search engine run through the Center for Media and Democracy. It's one of those true moments when I love the power of technology and how really smart people can get around the obstacles set in place by the folks who want to obscure the truth. Now, right at your finger tips, the ability to search Pentagon and other government documents for all sorts of propaganda related stuff. What's not to love?

That's what John McCain just said in his "town hall meeting". I saw it live on CNN.

Funny, I don't feel like a Georgian; I feel more like a "citizen of the world", which happens to include Georgia. But that's just me. Oh, and Obama, and millions of others who've had to watch John McCain and the republican shills beating Barack over the head since he appealed to US allies in Europe -- say, 200,000 Germans, for example.

And, as expected, McCain's rhetoric shifted immediately to the kind of propaganda the repubs can pump.

I enjoy debating, especially with people who hold a completely opposite world view than mine.

My favorite debates are with people who I consider neoconservatives, and the assorted extreme right-wing type. I consider it a study in human behavior, politics, and propaganda.

Often the parties--myself, and my opponent--see the world very differently and interpret the same information differently. And this to me is fascinating, and it leads me to write this essay about the concept of "truth." What is it?

Almost exactly one year ago I published a comprehensive examination of the futility of appearances on Fox News by Democrats and progressives: Starve The Beast. The thrust of the article argued that...

"Every time one of our representatives appears on Fox, they are setting back our agenda. They are not just wasting a little time trying to confront the enemy in its lair. They are literally causing harm to the efforts of the rest of us who are fervently struggling to repair and improve our country."

It's a year later and new studies reveal that the landscape has changed only in the sense that the conclusions I drew a year ago are even more true today.

Brought to you by...
News Corpse
The Internet's Chronicle Of Media Decay.

I love the Olympics, and I really love the opening ceremonies.  They give me hope that some day we will all progress past the "me first" attitude of "better us than them" which causes so much pain and suffering in the world.

I love seeing the athletes crossing over to talk to their counterparts of other nations, smiling and joined by a common love of athleticism and competition.

Friendly competition gives us a warm and fuzzy feeling, kind of like the cute panda mascot.

So, I was disgusted by NBC's commentators last night, politicizing, no, propagandizing this moment of world harmony.

I was not watching the t.v., following a spate of ads, when a roar of applause and cheers caused me to look up and see that the French had arrived in the stadium, acting tres, tres, tres...well, French.